LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



HOW TO BRING 

MEN TO CHRIST 



R. A. TORREY 

Superintendent Chicago Bible Institute 



.-*^' 



Fleming H. Revell Company, 

CHICAGO: I NEW YORK: 

148 and 150 Madison St. | 30 Union Square, East 

Publishers of Evangelical Literature. 



The Library 
OF Congress 




WASHINGTON 



\ 



. ^-"^ 



^^ 



■6 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1893 

BY Fleming H, Revell Company 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington D. C. 



PREFACE 

This book is written because it seems to be 
needed. The author has been repeatedly re- 
quested by Ministers, Y. M. C. A. Secretaries, 
Christian Workers, and his own students to 
put into a permanent and convenient shape 
the substance of what he has said at Con- 
ventions, Summer Schools and in the class- 
room on personal work. The time has come 
to yield to these requests. Never before in 
the history of the Church were there so many 
who desire to win others to Christ. The good 
work done by the Young People's Society of 
Christian Endeavor is in no other direction 
so evident as in the many thousands of young 
people in this land who to-day are on fire 
with a desire to win souls. But while they 
desire to do this work, many do not know 
how. This little book aims to tell them. 
There are several well-known and valuable 
manuals of texts to be used with inquirers, 
but this book is intended not only to point 
out passages to be used but to show how to 
use them, illustrating this use by cases from 



PREFACE 



actual experience. It is hoped that from a 
careful study of these pages any earnest Chris- 
tian can learn how to do efficient work in 
bringing others to the Saviour. 



CONTENTS. 



PREFACE. 

Chapter. Page. 

I. The General Conditions of Success 

m Bringing Men to Christ 7 

II. How TO Begin 14 

III. Dealing with the Indifferent or Care- 

less 20 

IV. Dealing with those who are Anxious 

TO BE Saved but do not Know How 29 
V. Dealing with those who are Anxious 
TO BE Saved and Know How, but 

WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 36 

VI. Dealing with those who entertain 

FALSE HOPES 50 

VII. Dealing with those who lack Assur- 
ance, AND Backsliders 57 

VIII. Dealing with Professed Skeptics and 

Infidels 65 

IX. Dealing with the complaining 77 

X. Dealing with those who wish to put 

OFF decision until SOME OTHER TIME. 83 

XI. Dealing with the Willful and the De- 
luded 87 

XII. Some hints AMD SUGGESTIONS 94 

XIII. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit 104 



-^*^ 



HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 



CHAPTER I 

THE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS IN 
BRINGING MEN TO CHRIST 

There are certain general conditions, the 
fulfilment of which is absolutely essential to 
real success in bringing men to Christ. These 
conditions, fortunately, are few and simple 
and such as any one can meet. 

I. The one who would have real success in 
bringing others to Christ must himself be A 

THOROUGHLY CONVERTED PERSON. JeSUS Said 

to Peter, "When thou art converted strengthen 
thy brethren.'^ He was in no position to help 
his brethren until he himself, after his coward- 
ly denial, had turned again to his Lord with 
his whole heart. If we would bring others to 
Christ we must turn away from all sin, 
and worldliness and selfishness with our 
whole heart, yielding to Jesus the absolute 
lordship over our thoughts, purposes and 

7 



8 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

actions. If there is any direction in which 
we are seeking to have our own way and not 
letting Him have His own way in our Hves, 
our power will be crippled and men lost that 
we might have saved. The application of 
this principle to the numerous questions that 
come up in the life of every young Christian 
as to whether he should do this or that, each 
individual can settle for himself if Christ's 
honor and not his own pleasure is upper- 
most in his mind and if he looks honestly to 
God to guide him. 

2. The one who would have real success in 
bringing others to Christ must have a love 
FOR SOULS, i. e. a longing for the salvation of 
the lost. If we have no love for souls, our 
efforts will be mechanical and powerless. We 
may know how to approach men and what 
to say to them, but there will be no power in 
what we say and it will not touch the heart. 
But if like Paul we have "great heaviness and 
unceasing pain in our hearts" for the unsaved, 
there will be an earnestness in our tone and 
manner that will impress the most careless. 
Furthermore if we have a love for souls we 
will be on the constant watch for opportu- 
nities to speak with the unsaved and will find 
opportunities on the street, in the store, in 



GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS 9 

the home, on the cars and everywhere that 
would otherwise have entirely escaped our 
notice. 

But how is one to get a love for souls? This 
question is easily answered. First of all, a 
love for souls like very other grace of Chris- 
tian character, is the work of the Holy Spirit. 
If then we are conscious that we do not have 
that love for souls that we should have, the * 
first thing to do is to go to God and humbly 
confess this lack in our lives and ask Him by 
His Holy Spirit to supply that which we so 
sorely, need and expect Him to do it (i. Jno. 
V. 14, 1 5; Phil. iv. 19). In the second 
place Jesus Christ had an intense love for 
souls (Matt, xxiii. 37; Luke xix. 10), and 
intimate and constant companionship with 
Him will impart to our lives this grace 
which was so prominent in His. In the 
third place feelings are the outcome of 
thoughts. If we desire any given feeling in 
our lives we should dwell upon the thoughts 
which are adapted to produce that feeling. 
If any saved person will dwell long • enough 
upon the peril and wretchedness of any man 
out of Christ and the worth of his soul in 
God's sight as seen in the death of God's 
Son to save him, a feeling of intense desire 



lO HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

for that man's salvation is almost certain to 
follow. In the fourth place, reflection upon 
our own ruined and unhappy condition with- 
out Christ and the great sacrifice that Christ 
made to save us, is sure to fill our hearts with 
a desire to bring others to the Saviour we have 
found. 

3. The one who would have real success 
in biHnging men to Christ, mitst have a work- 
ing KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. The Word of 

God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph vi. 17). 
It is the instrument God uses to convict of 
sin, to reveal Christ and to regenerate men. 
If we would work together with God, the Bible 
is the instrument upon which we must rely 
and which we must use in bringing men to 
Christ. We must know how to use the Bible 
so as (I ) to showmen their need of a Saviour, 
(2) to show them Jesus as the Saviour they 
need (3) to show them how to make this 
Saviour their own Saviour (4) to meet the 
difficulties that stand in the way of their ac- 
cepting Christ. A large part of the following 
pages will be devoted to imparting this knowl- 
edge. 

4 The one who would have real success 
in bringing men to Clirist must pray much. 
Solid work in soul winning must be accom- 



GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS II 

panied by prayer at every step. (i). We 
must pray God to lead us to the right persons 
to approach. God does not intend that we 
speak to every one we meet. If we try to do 
it, we will waste much valuable time in speak- 
ing to those whom we cannot help, nor 
do good, that we might have used in speak- 
ing to those to whom we could have done 
much good. God alone knows the one to 
whom He intends us to speak, and we must 
ask Him to point him out to us, and, expect 
Him to do it. (Acts viii. 29). (2). We 
must pray God to show us just what to say 
to those to whom He leads us. After all our 
study of the passages to be used in dealing 
with the various classes of men, we shall 
need God's guidance in each specific case. 
Every experienced worker will testify to the 
many instances in which God has led them 
to use some text of Scripture that they would 
not otherwise have used but which proved to 
be just the one needed. (3), We must pray 
God to give power to that which He has given 
us to say. We need not only a message from 
God but power from God to send the message 
home. Most workers have to learn this lesson 
by humiliating experiences. They sit down 
beside an unsaved man and reason and plead 



12 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

and bring forth texts from the word of God, 
but the man does not accept Christ. At last 
it dawns upon them that they are trying to 
convert the man in their own strength and 
then they Hft an humble and earnest prayer 
to God tor his strength, and God hears and in 
a short time this "very difficult case" has set- 
tled the matter and is rejoicing in Christ. (4). 
We must pay God to carry on the work after 
our work has come to an end. After hav- 
ing done that which seems to have been our 
whole duty in any given instance, whatever 
may have been the apparent issue of our work, 
whether successful or unsuccessful, we should 
definitely commit the case to God in prayer. 
If there is anything the average worker in this 
hurrying age needs to have impressed upon 
him, it is the necessity of more prayer. By 
praying more we will not work any less and 
w^e will accomplish vastly more. 

5. Tlie one who would have real success ift 
bringing men to Clirist imtst be "baptized 
WITH THE HOLY GHOST." "Ye shall receive 
power after that the Holy Ghost, is come 
upon you," said Jesus to his disciples after 
having given them the great commission to go 
out and bring men to Himself. The supreme 
condition of soul winning power is the same 



GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS 1 3 

to-day: "after that the Holy Ghost is come 
upon you.'^ A later chapter will be given to 
a study of what "the Baptism of the Holy 
Ghost'* is and how any Christian can obtain it. 



CHAPTER II 

HOW TO BEGIN 

When God has led us to think that He 
wishes us to make an effort to lead some given 
individual to Christ, the first question that 
confronts us is, ''How shall I begin?" If the 
person has gone into an inquiry room, or re- 
mained to an after-meeting, or even if they are 
merely present at prayer-meeting, Sunday- 
school or other ordinary service of the church, 
it is comparatively easy. You can then ask 
him if he is a Christian, or if he would not 
like to be a Christian, or why he is not a 
Christian or some other direct and simple 
question that will lead inevitably to a con- 
versation along this line. But if the person 
is one in whom you have become interested 
outside the religious meeting and who is per- 
haps an entire stranger, it does not at first 
sight appear so simple, and yet it is not so 
very difficult. The person can be engaged in 
conversation on some general topic or on 
something suggested by passing events, and 

14 



HOW TO BEGIN 1 5 

soon brought around to the great subject. 
Christ's conversation with the woman of Sa- 
maria in the 4th chapter of John is a very in- 
structive illustration of this. Oftentimes even 
in dealing with entire strangers it is well to 
broach the subject at once and ask them if 
they are Christians or if they are saved or 
some similar question. If this is done courte- 
ously and earnestly it will frequently set even 
careless people to thinking and result in their 
conversion. It is astonishing how often one 
who undertakes this work in humble depend- 
ence upon God and under His direction, finds 
the way prepared and how seldom he receives 
any rebuff. One day the writer met a man 
on one of the most crowded streets of Chicago. 
As I passed him the impulse came to speak 
to him about the Saviour. Stopping a moment 
and asking God to show me if the impulse was 
from Him, I turned around and followed the 
man. I overtook him in the middle of the 
street, laid my hand upon his shoulder and 
said: "My friend, are you a Christian.'^ He 
started and said: "That's a strange question 
to ask a man.'' I said, "I know it, and I do 
not ask that question of every stranger, but 
God put it into my heart to ask it of you.'' 
He then told me that his cousin was a minis- 



l6 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

ter and had been urging this very matter upon 
him, that he himself was a graduate of Am- 
herst .college, but had been ruined by drink. 
After further conversation we separated but 
later the man accepted Christ as his Saviour. 

It is often best to win a person^s confidence 
and affection before broaching the subject. 
It is well to select some one and then lay 
your plans to win him to Christ. Cultivate 
his acquaintance, show him many atten- 
tions and perform many acts of kindness great 
and small and at last when the fitting moment 
arrives take up the great question. An old 
and thorough going infidel in Chicago was in 
this way won to Christ by a young woman, 
who found him sick and alone. She called 
day after day and showed him many kind- 
nesses and as the consumption fastened itself 
more firmly upon him she spoke to him of 
the Saviour and had the joy of seeing him ac- 
cept Christ. 

A wisely chosen tract placed in the hand 
of the one with whom you wish to speak will 
often lead easily and naturally to the subject. 
One day I was riding on a train and praying 
that God would use me to lead some one to 
His Son. A young lady, daughter of a min- 
ister, with whom I had had some conversation 



HOW TO BEGIN 1/ 

on this subject came in with a friend and took 
the seat immediately in front of me. I took 
out a little bundle of tracts and selected one 
that seemed adapted for the purpose and 
handed it to her and asked her to read it. As 
she read, I prayed. When she had finished, 
I leaned over and asked her what she 
thought about it. She was deeply m.oved and 
I asked her if she would not accept Christ 
right there. Her difficulties were soon met 
and answered and she accepted Christ. As 
she left the train she thanked me very heartily 
for what I had done for her. 

You will often meet some one whose face 
tells the story of unhappiness or discontent: 
in such a case it is easy to ask the person if 
he is happy and when he answers "no'' you 
can say, "I can tell you of one who will make 
you happy if you will only take Him." Skill 
in beginning a conversation will come with 
practice. One may be rather awkward about 
it at first but as we go on we will acquire 
facility. 

When the subject is once opened the first 
thing to find out is where the person with 
whom you are dealing stands; then you will 
know how to wisely treat his case. In the 
chapters immediately following this all the 



1 8 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

classes of men one is likely to meet will be 
given, and the first point to be ascertained is 
to which class any given individual belongs. 
But how can we find out to which class any 
person belongs? First. By asking him ques- 
tions. Such questions as ''Are you a Chris- 
tian.^" "Are you saved?" "Do you know 
that your sins are forgiven?" "Have you eter- 
nal life?" "Are you. confessing Christ openly 
before the world?" "Are you a friend of 
Jesus?" "Have you been born again?" One 
may answer these questions untruthfully, 
either through ignorance or a desire to mis- 
lead you. Nevertheless, their answers and 
the manner of them will show you a great deal 
about their real state. Second. By watch- 
ing his face. A man's face will often reveal 
that which his words try to conceal. Any one 
who cultivates the study of the faces of those 
with whom he deals will soon be able to tell 
in many instances the exact state of those 
with whom they are dealing irrespective of 
anything they may say. Third. By the 
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit if we only look 
to Him to do it will often flash into our minds 
a view of the man's position, and just the 
scripture he needs. 

When we have learned where the person 



HOW TO BEGIN 1 9 

with whom we are dealing stands, the next 
thing to do is to lead him as directly as we 
can to accept Jesus Christ, as his personal 
Savior and Master. We must always bear in 
mind that the primary purpose of our work, 
is not to get persons to join the church or 
to give up their bad habits or to do anything 
else than this, to accept Jesus Christ, as their 
Saviour — the one who bore their sins in his 
own body on the tree and through whom they 
can have immediate and entire forgiveness, — 
and as their Master to whom they surrender 
absolutely the guidance of their thoughts, feel- 
ings, purposes and actions. Having led any 
one to thus accept Christ the next step will 
be to show him from God's word that he has 
forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Acts x, 
43, xiii, 39; Jno. iii, 36; v. ' 24, will answer 
for this purpose. The next step will be to 
show him how to make a success of the 
Christian life upon which he has entered. 
How to do this will be told later. Each 
person is to be led to accept Christ through 
a use of the word of God. In the chap- 
ters that immediately follow this we will try 
to show what specific portions of the word to 
use in given cases and how to use them. 



CHAPTER III 

DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT OR CARELESS 

One of the classes of men most fre- 
quently met with, is The Indifferent, or Care- 
less. There are several ways of dealing with 
them. One is to show them their need of a 
Saviour. A good verse to use for this pur- 
pose is Romans iii, 23. Get the person with 
whom you are dealing to read the verse, "For 
all have sinned and come short of the glory 
of God.'^ Then say to him: ''Who have 
sinned?" "All". "Who does that include.^" 
and keep up the questioning until he says, 
"It includes me." Then ask him what it is 
that he has done, and keep at it until he 
comes out plainly and says: "I have sinned 
and come short of the glory of God." This 
is likely to make him feel his need of a 
Saviour. Another good verse to use is Isaiah 
liii: 6. After the verse has been read, ask 
him who it is that has gone astray and by a 
series of questions bring him to the point 
where he will say, " I have gone astray. " Then 

2U 



DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT 2 1 

ask him what kind of a sheep one is that has 
gone astray" and hold him to it until he says 
"a lost sheep." "What are you then?" "Lost." 
Then ask him what the Lord has done with 
his sin, and hold him to that point until he 
sees the truth of the verse, that God has laid 
his sin on Jesus Christ. Now, he is in a 
position for you to put to him the direct ques- 
tion: "Will you accept this Saviour upon whom 
the Lord has laid your sin?" Still another 
verse to use is Psalms cxxx. 3. When the 
verse has been read, ask him, "If the Lord 
marked iniquities could you stand?" In dealing 
with this class of men I use Matthew xxii. 
37, 38 more frequently than any other pass- 
age of Scripture. Before having the person 
read the verse, it is well to ask him, "Do you 
know that you have committed the greatest 
sin that a man can commit." In all probability 
he will answer, "No, I have not." Then ask 
him what he thinks the greatest sin a man can 
commit. When he has answered, say to him. 
Now let us see what God considers the greatest 
sin. Read the verses and ask him, "What is 
the first and greatest of the commandments." 
Then ask him, "What then is the greatest 
sin." He will soon answer that the violation 
of the first and greatest of the commandments 



22 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

must be the greatest sin. Ask him if he has 
kept that commandment and when he con- 
fesses, as sooner or later he must, that he has 
not, ask him of what he is guilty in the sight 
of God, and hold him to that point until he 
admits that he is guilty of committing the 
greatest sin that a man can commit. An il- 
lustration from life may help to make the use 
of this verse clear. I was dealing with a 
very bright young man who evidently had no 
deep sense of sin nor of his need of a Saviour. 
In fact when I asked if he was a Christian he 
said promptly that he always had been; but 
there was something in his manner that showed 
that he had no clear understanding of what it 
meant to be a Christian. I then asked if he 
had been born again and he did not even un- 
derstand what I was talking about. I next 
asked if he knew he had committed the great- 
est sin that a man could possibly commit and 
he at once answered, "No, I never did in my 
life." I asked what he considered the great- 
est sin, and he replied "murder." I took my 
Bible and opened it to Matthew xxii. 37, 
38, and asked him to read the verses, which 
he did. I then asked him, "If this is the first 
and greatest commandment, what must be 
the greatest sin." He answered, "I suppose 



DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT 23 

the breaking of that commandment." I then 
asked if he had always kept that command- 
ment, if he had always loved God with 
all his heart, with all his soul, and with all 
his mind. If he had always put God first in 
everything. He replied that he had not. I 
then asked him, "Of what then are you guilty ?^^ 
The Spirit of God carried the text home and 
with the greatest earnestness he replied, "I 
have committed the greatest sin that a man 
can commit, but I never saw it before in my 
life." Another verse that can be used with 
effect is John viii. 34. After the man has 
read the verse, "Whosoever committeth sin is 
the servant of sin," ask him "what is one who 
commits sin.?" Then ask him if he commits sin. 
Then put to him the direct question, "What 
are you then," and hold him to it until he 
says "the servant of sin." Then ask him if he 
does not desire to be delivered from that aw- 
ful bondage. Hold him to this point until 
he sees his need of Jesus Christ as a Deliverer 
from the slavery of sin. The Holy Spirit has 
used Isaiah Ivii. 21 to the salvation of 
many men who have been indifferent to the 
claims of the Gospel. After the verse, "There 
is no peace saith my God to the wicked," has 
been read slowly, thoughtfully, and earn- 



24 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

estly, ask him who it is that says this. Then 
ask him if it is true; then ask him if it is true 
in his case. "Have you peace?'^ One night 
a careless young man was going out of one of 
our tents in Chicago and as he passed by me 
I took him by the hand and said to him, "You 
need the Saviour." He wanted to know why 
I thought so. I replied, "Because you have 
no peace. '^ He said, "Yes I have.'' "No you 
have not." He then asked me how I knew 
that. I told him God said so and quoted the 
above passage. He tried to laugh it off and 
say the verse was not true in his case. Then 
he became angry and went out of the tent in 
a rage, but the next night I saw him kneeling 
with one of our workers in prayer and when 
he arose from his knees, the worker came over 
and said he wished to speak with me. As I 
approached him he held out his hand and 
said, "I wanted to beg your pardon for what 
r said last night; what you said was true, I 
didn't have peace." I asked him if he had 
now accepted the Saviour. He said he had. 

Galations iii. lo is a verse which we very 
frequently use in our work in dealing with 
the Indifferent. After the one with whom 
you are dealing has read the verse, "For 
as many as are of the works of the law 



DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT 2$ 

^re under the curse; for it is written cursed 
is every one that continueth not in all things 
which are written in the book of the law to 
do them'' ask him the question, "What is 
every one that continueth not in all things 
which are written in the book of the law to 
do them?" When he answers, "Cursed,'' 
ask him if he has continued in all things 
which are written in the book of the law to 
do them and when he replies, "No, I have 
not," put to him the direct question, "What 
are you then ?" and hold him to that point 
until he says, "I am under the curse." In very 
many cases the inquirer will be ready at once 
to be led to the thirteenth verse of the same 
chapter which shows how he may be saved 
from that curse under which he rests. Romans 
vi. 23 can often be used with good effect. 
"For the wages of sin is death." Ask "what 
are the wages of sin.-^" Then, "who earns 
those wages.?" Then, "Are you a sinner?" 
"What wages then have you earned?" "Do 
you wish to take your wages." John iii. 36 is 
a verse which can be used in a similar way. 
Ask the question, "Upon whom is it that the 
wrath of God abides?" Then, "Do you be- 
lieve on the Son?" "What then abides upon 
you?" Then put the decisive question, "Are 



26 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

you willing to go away with the wrath of 
God abiding upon you?" II Thes. i. 7-9, 
and John viii. 24, Rev. xx. 15; xxi. 8; xiv. 
lo-ii, set forth in a most impressive way the 
awful consequences of sin. If these verses 
are used they should be read with the deepest 
earnestness and solemnity and dwelt upon 
until the person with whom you are dealing 
realizes their terrible import. 

There is another way to arouse a man from 
his indifference, and that is by showing what 
Jesus has done for him. I have found Isaiah 
liii. 5-6 more effectual for this purpose then 
any other passage in the Bible. An incident 
from life will illustrate its use. A lady had 
asked prayers for her daughter, a young 
woman about tw^enty years of age. At the 
close of the services I stepped up to the 
daughter and asked her if she would not ac- 
cept Jesus Christ as her Saviour at once. 
She stamped her foot in anger and said, *'My 
mother should have known better than to do 
that; she knows it will only make me worse." 
I asked her if she would not sit down for a 
few minutes and as soon as we w^ere seated I 
opened my Bible to this passage and began to 
read, "But he was wounded for our trans- 
gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; 



DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT 2/ 

the chastisement of our peace was upon him; 
and with his stripes we are healed. All we 
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned 
every one to his own way; and the Lord hath 
laid on him the iniquity of us all." I made 
no comment upon the verses whatever, but 
the Spirit of God carried them home and 
tears began to roll down the cheeks of the 
young woman. She did not come out as a 
Christian that night but did shortly afterward. 
It is well in using these verses, whenever it 
is possible, to get the inquirer to change the 
pronoun from the plural to the singular. "He 
was wounded for my transgressions; he was 
bruised for my iniquities, etc." John iii. i6 
can be used in a similar way. I was talking 
one night to one who was apparently most 
indifferent and hardened. She told me the 
story of her sin, with seemingly very little 
sense of shame, and when I urged her to 
accept Christ, she simply refused. I put a 
Bible in her hands and asked her to read this 
verse. She began to read, "God so loved 
the world that He gave His only begotten 
Son," and before she had finished reading the 
verse she had broken into tears, softened by 
the thought of God's wondrous love to her. 
First Peter ii. 24 is a verse of similar charac- 



28 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

ter. Ask the inquirer whose sins they were 
that Jesus bore in his own body on the tree, 
and hold him to it until he says, "My sins.'^ 
I Peter i. 18-19, Luke xxii. 44, Matt, 
xxvii. 46, are useful as bringing out in detail 
what Christ has suffered for us. 

There is still another way to arouse in- 
different persons, and that is by showing them 
that the one damning sin is that of which 
they themselves are guilty — the sin of reject- 
ing Jesus Christ. Heb x. 28-29 is very effec- 
tive for this purpose. John xvi. 9; iii. 18, 
19, 20, and Acts ii, 36 can also be used. 

Oftentimes you will meet one who is not 
willing to sit down and let you deal with him 
in this deliberate way. In that case the only 
thing to do is to look up to God for guidance 
and power and give him some pointed verse 
in great earnestness, such for example as 
Heb. X. 28-29, Romans vi. 23, John iii. 36, 
Isaiah Ivii. 21, and leave it for the Spirit of 
God to carry the truth home to his heart. A 
passing shot of this kind has often resulted 
in the salvation of a soul. The passages given 
above can be wisely used with one who is not 
altogether indifferent or careless but who has 
not a sufficiently deep sense of sin and need 
to be ready to accept the Gospel. 



CHAPTER IV 

DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE 
SAVED BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW 

There is a very large class of persons who 
are anxious to be saved but simply do not 
know how. It is not difficult to lead this 
class of persons to Christ. Perhaps no other 
passage in the Bible is more used for this pur- 
pose than Isaiah liii. 6. It makes the way of 
salvation very plain. Read the first part of 
the verse to the inquirer, "All we like sheep 
have gone astray, we have turned every one 
to his own way.'* Then ask, "Is that true of 
you," and when he has thought it over and 
said "yes," then say to him, "Now let us see 
what God has done with your sins," and read 
the remainder of the verse, "And the Lord 
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 
"What then is it necessary for you to do to 
be saved?" Very soon he can be led to see 
that all that it is necessary for him to do is to 
accept the sin bearer whom God has provided. 
Some years ago I noticed in a meeting a white- 

29 



30 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

haired man who did not stand up with the 
Christians. At the close of the service I 
walked down to him and said, **Are you not 
a Christian ?'' He said he was not. I was 
sure he was interested, so I put to him the 
direct question, ^'Would you become a Chris- 
tian to-night if I would show you the way?" 
and he replied that he would. We sat down 
together and I opened my Bible to Isaiah liii. 
6 and read the first part of the verse, "All we 
like sheep have gone astray, we have turned 
every one to his own way." I then said to 
him, "Is that true of you?" and he answered 
"yes." "Now," I said, "let us read the rest of 
the verse, 'And the Lord hath laid on him 
the iniquity of us all.'" "What has the Lord 
done," I said, "with your sins?" He thought a 
moment and said "he has laid them on Christ." 
"What then" I said "is all that you have to 
do to be saved?" and he replied quite promptly, 
"Accept him." "Well," I said, "will you accept 
him to-night?" He said, "I will." "Let us 
then kneel down and tell God so." We knelt 
down and I led in prayer and he followed in 
a very simple way telling God that he was a 
sinner but that he believed that He had laid 
his sins upon Jesus Christ, and asked God for 
Christ's sake to forgive his sins. When he 



THOSE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED 3 1 

had finished I asked him if he thought God 
had heard his prayer and that his sins were 
forgiven, and he said "yes." I then asked 
him if he would begin to lead a Christian life 
at once, set up the family altar and open- 
ly confess Christ before the world, and he re- 
plied that he would. Some months after I 
met his pastor and made inquiries about him 
and found that he had gone to his home in a 
distant village, set up the family altar and 
united with the church together with his 
son, the only remaining member of the 
family out of Christ. Apparently all that 
this man was waiting for was for some 
one to make the way of salvation plain to 
him. I sometimes put it this way in using 
this verse: "There are two things which a 
man needs to know and one thing he needs 
to do in order to be saved. What he needs to 
know is, first, that he is a lost sinner and this 
verse tells him that; second, that Christ is 
an all-sufficient Saviour and this verse tells 
him that. What he needs to do is simply to 
accept this all-sufficient Saviour whom God 
has provided." John i. 12 brings out this 
thought very clearly, "As many as received 
him to them gave he power to become the 
sons of God, even to them that believe on 



32 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

his name." After the verse has been read 
you can ask the one with whom you are deal- 
ing, ^^To whom is it that God gives the power 
to become the sons of God." "As many as 
receive him." What must you then do to 
become a son of God.^ "Receive him." Well, 
will you receive him as your Saviour and as 
your master now.^ Isaiah Iv. 7, Acts xvi. 31, 
John iii. 16 and iii. 36 are all useful in mak- 
ing the way of salvation plain. John iii. 14 
compared with Numbers xxi. 8 and the fol- 
lowing verses, can often be used w^ith good 
effect. When they are used you should lead 
the inquirer to see just w^hat the serpent-bit- 
ten Israelite had to do to be saved — that he 
had simply to look at the brazen serpent lifted 
up upon the pole — then show him that the 
sin-bitten man has to do simply the same 
thing — look at Chirst lifted up on the Cross 
for his sins. Romans i. 16 is another excel- 
lent verse to use. It makes the way of sal- 
vation very clear. You can ask the inquirer 
whom it is, according to his verse, that the 
Gospel saves, and he will see that it is "every 
one that believeth." Then ask him, "What then 
is all that is necessary for one to do in order to 
be saved," and he will see that it is simply to 
believe. Then ask him "beheve what," and 



THOSE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED 33 

the answer is "the Gospel." The next ques- 
tion that naturally arises is, what is the Gos- 
pel. This is answered by I Cor. xv; 1-4. These 
verses show what the Gospel is, "that Christ 
died for our sins according to the Scriptures; 
that he was buried and that he rose the third 
day according to the scriptures" and this is 
what he must believe in order to be saved. 
He must believe from his heart that Christ 
died for his sins and that he rose again. Then 
ask the inquirer, "do you believe that Christ 
died for your sins? do you believe that he 
rose again?" If he says that he does, ask 
him if he will make this a heart faith and get 
down and ask God for Christ's sake, to for- 
give his sins and believe he does it because he 
says so, and then trust in the living Saviour 
to save him day by day from the power of sin. 
Romans x. 9-10 also makes the way of sal- 
vation clear to many minds where other verses 
fail. Romans x. 13 makes it, if possible, 
more simple still. This shows that all that a 
man has to do to be saved is to call upon the 
name of the Lord. You can ask the inquirer 
"Are you ready now and here to get down and 
call upon the name of the Lord for salvation 
and to believe that God saves you because 
he says he will." The way of salvation can be 



34 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

made plain by the use of Exodus xii. 7, 13, 
23. These verses show that it was the blood 
that made the Israelites safe and just so it is 
to-day the blood that makes us safe, and when 
God sees the blood he passes over us. The 
only thing for us to do is to get behind the 
blood. Then show the inquirer that the way 
to be behind the blood is by simple faith in 
Jesus Christ. Luke xviii. 10-14 is exceed- 
ingly useful in showing what a man may have 
and yet be lost (the Pharisee) and what a 
man may lack and yet be saved (the Publi- 
can) and all that a man has to do to be saved 
is simply to do as the Publican did — that is 
take the sinner's place and cry to God for 
mercy and then he will go down to his house 
justified. This passage can be used in the 
following manner to make the meaning more 
clear. Ask the inquirer, ^^ Which one of these 
two (the Pharisee or the Publican) went down 
to his house justified?'^ Then ask him, "What 
did the Publican do that the Pharisee did not 
do, that brought him the forgiveness of his 
sins while the Pharisee went out of the Tem- 
ple unforgiven.^" When he studies the pas- 
sage he will soon see that what the Publican 
did was simply to take the sinner's place before 
God and cry for mercy and that as soon as he 



THOSE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED 35 

did this he was "justified*' or forgiven. Then 
you can ask him, "What is all that it is nec- 
essary for you to do to find forgiveness." 
Then ask him, "Will you do it now and here," 
and when he has done so ask him if he believes 
God's word and if he is going down to his 
house justified. What saving faith is, is beau- 
tifully illustrated by Luke vii. 48-50. The 
fiftieth verse tells us that this woman had 
saving faith. Now ask the inquirer, "What 
was the faith she had," and show him that 
her faith was simply such faith that Jesus 
could and would forgive her sins, that she 
came to him to do it. This is saving faith. 
Galations iii. 10-13 also makes the way of 
salvation very simple. The tenth verse shows 
the sinner's position before accepting Christ — 
under the curse. The thirteenth verse shows 
what Christ has done — has been made a curse 
for us. What the sinner had to do is, evi- 
dently, simply to accept Christ. 



CHAPTER V 

DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE 

SAVED AND KNOW HOW, BUT WHO HAVE 

DIFFICULTIES 

A very large number of persons whom we 
try to lead to Christ, we will find are really 
anxious to be saved and know how, but are 
confronted with difi&culties which they deem 
insurmountable. 

I. One of the difficulties is, "7^;;/ too great 
a sinner,'^ I Tim.. I. 15 meets this fully. 
One Sunday morning a man who had led a 
wild and wandering life and who had recently 
lost $35,000 and been separated from his 
wife, said to me in response to my question, 
why he was not Christian, "I am too great a 
sinner to be saved. ^' I turned at once to 
Tim. 1:15. ''This is a faithful saying and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I 
am chief.^' He quickly replied, "well I am the 
chief of sinners." "Well," I said, "that verse 
means you then." He replied, "It is a precious 

36 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 37 

promise. '' I said, ** Will youaccept it now ?" and 
he said, "I will/' Then I said let us kneel 
down and tell God so, and we knelt down and- 
he confessed to God his sins, and asked God 
for Christ's sake to forgive him his sins. I 
asked him if he had really accepted Christ and 
he said he had. I asked him if he really be- 
lieved that he was saved and he said he did. 
He took an early opportunity of confessing 
Christ. He left the city in a short time but 
I was able to follow him. He became a most 
active Christian, working at his business day 
times but engaged in some form of Christian 
work every night in the week. He was re- 
united to his wife and adopted a little child 
out of an orphan asylum and had a happy 
Christian home. Luke xix, 10 is also a very 
useful passage to use in dealing with this 
class of men ; especially useful when a man 
says, "I am lost." You can say, "I have a pas- 
sage intended expressly for you. If you really 
mean what you say, you are just the man 
Jesus is seeking. "For the Son of man is 
come to seek and save that which was lost." 
Romans v: 6-8 is a very effective passage. I 
stopped a man one night as he was hurrying 
out of a meeting. Laying my hand on his 
shoulder I said "Did you not hold your hand 



38 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

up to-night for prayers ?'' He said "yes." I 
said, "Why then are you hurrying away? Do 
you know God loves you?" He repHed, 
"You do not know who you are talking to." 
"I do not care who I am talking to but 
I know God loves you." He said: "I am 
the meanest thief in Minneapolis." I said "If 
you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, 
then I know God loves you," and I opened 
my Bible to Romans v: 8. "But God com- 
mendeth his love toward us in that while we 
were yet sinners Christ died for us." "Now," 
I said, "If you are the meanest thief in Minne- 
apolis, you are a sinner, and this verse tells 
that God loves sinners." The man broke down 
and going into another room with me told me 
his story. He was just out of confinement 
for crime; had started out that very night to 
commit what he said would have been one of 
the most daring burglaries ever committed in 
the city of Minneapolis; with his two com- 
panions in crime he was passing a corner where 
he happened to hear an open air meeting go- 
ing on and stopped a few minutes to hear 
and in spite of the protests and oaths of his 
companions stayed through the meeting and 
went with us to the Mission. After telling 
me his story we kneeled in prayer. Through 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 39 

tears he cried to God for mercy, having been 
led by God's precious promise to believe that 
God loved a sinner even as vile as he. Matt, 
ix: 12, 13; Romans x: 13, (Emphasize "who- 
soever"); Johniii: 16 (Emphasize the "whoso- 
ever"); Isaiah i: 18; I John iv: 14; John ii: 1-2; 
Isaiah xliv 22; Isaiah xliii: 25 are also useful 
passages in dealing with this class of men. 
Isaiah i: 18 and Ps. li: 14 are especially useful 
in dealng with men who have committed mur- 
der. Never tell any one that his sins are not 
great. It is well sometimes to say to these 
men, "Yes, your sins are great, greater than 
you think, but they have all been settled" 
and show them Isaiah liii: 6; I Peter ii: 24. 
A woman once came to me in great agitation. 
After many ineffectual attempts she was at last 
able to unburden her heart. Fourteen years 
before she had killed a man and had borne 
the memory of the act upon her conscience 
until it had almost driven her crazy. When 
she told the story to another Christian and 
myself, we turned to Isaiah liii: 6. After 
reading the verse very carefully to her, I asked 
her what the Lord had done with her sin. 
After a few moments deep and anxious 
thought she said, "He has laid it on Christ," 
I took a book in my hand. "Now" I said "let 



40 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

my right hand represent you, and my left 
hand Christ, and this book your sin. I laid 
the book upon my right hand and I said: 
"Where is your sin now?" She said "On 
me." "Now," I said, "what has God done with 
it?" She said "Laid it on Christ," and I laid the 
book over on the other hand. "Where is 
your sin now?" I asked. It was long before 
she could summon courage to answer, and 
then with a desperate effort she said, "On 
Christ." I said, "then is it on you any longer 
er?" Slowly the light came into her face and 
she burst out with a cry, "No, it is on Him, 
it is on Christ." John i: 29. Acts x: 43, 
Heb. vii: 25, are also helpful texts in dealing 
with this class of men. 

2. Another difficulty we frequently meet 
with, is that "/ can t hold oitt,^^ or "/ am 
afraid of failure.^'' I Peter i: 5 is useful in 
showing that we are not to keep ourselves but 
are "kept by the power of God." John x: 
28, 29 shows that the safety of the one who 
accepts Christ does not depend upon his 
"holding out" but upon the keeping power of 
the Father and the Son. II Tim. i: 12 shows 
that it is Christ's business and not ours to 
keep that which is entrusted to him and that 
he is able to do it. Isaiah xli: 10, 13 are also 



THOSE WflO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 4I 

helpful. Jude 24 shows that whether we can 
keep from faUing or not, that Christ is able 
to keep us from falling. II Chr. xxxii: 7, 8; 
Romans xiv: 4; II Thes. iii: 3, are also good 
texts to use. I Cor x: 13 is especially useful 
when one is afraid that some great temptation 
will overtake him and he will fall. 

3. Another difficulty very similar to the 
preceding one, is "/ am too weak^ With 
such a person, use II Cor. xii: 9, 10. Ask him 
"where is it that Christ's strength is made 
perfect?*' When he answers "in weakness," 
tell him then "the weaker you are in your own 
strength the better. '* Philippians iv: 13 shows 
that however weak we may be, we can do 
all things through Christ which strengtheneth 
us. I Cor. x: 13 will show that God 
knows all about our weakness and will not 
permit us to be tempted above our strength. 

4. "/ cannot give up my evil ways or 
bad habits y Gal. vi: 7, 8, will show them 
that they must give them up or perish. Phil- 
ippians iv: 13 will show them that they can 
give them up in Christ's strength. It is an 
excellent plan to point the one who fears that 
he cannot give up his bad habits to Christ, 
as a risen Saviour, I Cor. xv, 3, 4. A man 
once came to me and said: "I come to you to 



42 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

know if there is any way I can get power to 
overcome my evil habits." He told me his 
story; he had been converted in childhood but 
had come to Chicago, fallen in with evil com- 
panions and gone down, and now could not 
breakaway from his sins. I said to him: "You 
know only half the gospel, the gospel of a 
crucified Saviour. Through trusting in the 
crucified Saviour you found pardon. But Jesus 
Christ is also arisen Saviour, i Cor xv, 4, *A11 
power is given unto Him,' Matt, xxviii: 18 
He has power to give you victory over your 
evil habits. Do you believe that.?" He said, 
"yes". "You trusted," 1 continued, "in the 
crucified Christ and found pardon, did you 
not." "Yes," he repHed. "Now," I said, "will 
you trust the risen Christ to save you from 
the power of your sins.?" "Yes, I will." "Let 
us kneel down then, and tell him so." We 
knelt and talked it all over with the Saviour. 
When he arose his very countenance was 
changed. "I am so glad I came" he said. 
Some time after I received a letter from him 
telling me how he found constant victory 
through trusting in the risen Christ. 

5. "/ will be persecuted if 1 become a Chris- 
tiany Never tell any one that he will not be 
persecuted, but show him from such passages 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 43 

as II Tim. ii: 12; II Tim. iii: 12; Matt v:io, 
II, 12; Mark viii:35; Acts xiv:22, that perse- 
cution is the only path to Glory. Show them 
from Romans viii: 18 that the sufferings of this 
present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the Glory which shall be revealed in us. 
Show them from Acts v:4i, i Peter ii: 20, 21, 
that it is a privilege to be persecuted for 
Christ's sake. Heb. xii: 3, 3 is useful in show- 
ing them where to look for victory in persecu- 
tion. 

6. "// will hurt my business,'*'^ or "/ can* t 
be a Christian in my present business,'''' Point 
such an one to Mark viii: 36, this will show him 
that it is better to lose his business than to 
lose his soul. After this thought has been suffi- 
ciently impressed upon his mind, show him 
Matt vi: 32, 33 which contains God's promise 
that if we put God and His kingdom, first, 
that He will provide for all our real temporal 
needs. Matt xvi: 24-27; Luke xii: 16-21 ; 16:24- 
26 are also very effective passages to use 
with this class. 

7. ^^Too much to give iip^ Mark viii: 36 
will show them that they had better give up 
everything than to lose their soul. Philippians 
iii: 7, 8; Ps. xvi: 11 will show them that what 
they give up is nothing compared with what 



44 ^OW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

they get. Ps. Ixxxiviii; Romans viii: 32 will 
show them that God will not ask them to give 
up any good thing ; in other words, that the only 
things God asks them to give up are the things 
that are hurting them. A young woman once 
refused to come to the Saviour saying, "There 
is too much to give up.'' "Do you think God 
loves you. ^'' I answered. "Certainly." "How 
much do you think he loves you.?'' She 
thought a moment and answered, "Enough to 
give his son to die for me." "Do you think, 
if God loved you enough to give his son to 
die for you, he will ask you to give up any- 
thing it is for your good to keep.?" "No." "Do 
you wish to keep anything that it is not for 
your good to keep.?" "No." "Then you had 
better come to Christ at once." And she did. 
IJohnii:i7, Luke xii: 16-21 will show them 
how worthless are the things to which they 
are trying to hold. 

8. " T/ie Christian life is too hard,'''' Say 
to the inquirer, "Let me show you from God's 
word that you are mistaken about the Chris- 
tian life being hard." Then turn him to Matt, 
xi: 30; Prov. iii: 17; Ps. xvi: 11; I John v: 3, 
and show him that a Christian life is not hard 
but exceedingly pleasant. Then turn him to 
Prov. xiii: 5, and show him that it is the sin- 
ner's life that is hard. 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 45 

9. "7 am afraid of my ungodly com.p an- 
ions f* or "/ will lose my friends if I take 
Christ.^'' Prov.xxix:2 5 will show them the con- 
sequence of yielding to the fear of man and the 
security of the one who trusts in the Lord. 
Prov. xiii : 20 will show them the result of hold- 
ing on to their companions, and Ps. i:i will 
show the blessedness of giving up evil com- 
panions. I John 1:3 shows how much better 
companionship one gets than he loses by com- 
ing to Christ. 

10. ''^My heart is too hardy Ezek. xxxvi. 
26,27, will show them that though their hearts 
are hard as stone, that will make no difference 
because God will give them a new heart. 

11. ^'^ I have no feeling^ Ask the inquirer 
what kind of feeling he thinks he must have 
before he comes to Christ. If it is the peace 
of which Christians speak, show him from 
Gal. V. 22; Eph. i. 13; Acts v. 32; I Peter i. 
8; Matt. x. 32, that this feeling is the result of 
accepting Christ and confessing Him, and 
that he cannot expect it until he accepts and 
confesses Christ. If the feeling which he 
thinks he must have is the feeling that he is a 
sinner, then show him by Is. Iv:/ that xix'^not 
the feeling that we are sinners that God de- 
mands, but a turning away from sin. Or, 



46 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

from Acts xvi: 31 ; John i: 12; that God does 
not ask us to feel that we are sinners but to 
confess that we are sinners and trust in 
Christ as a Saviour. Is. Iv. i; Rev. xxii. 17, 
will show the inquirer that all the feeling he 
needs is a desire for salvation. 

It is often times well, however, with this 
class of inquirers to show them the passages 
for "The Indifferent'^ until they do feel that 
they are sinners. 

12. ^^I am seeking Christy but cannot find 
Him:' 

Jer. xxix. 13, shows that when we seek him 
with the whole heart we shall find him. 
Speaking with a woman one evening in an 
after-meeting she said to me, "I have been 
seeking Christ two years and cannot find Him." 
I replied, "I can tell you when you will find 
him." She looked at me in surprise and I 
turned to Jer. xxix. 13, and read "And ye shall 
seek me, and find me, when ye shall search 
for me with all your heart." "There," I said, 
"that shows you when you will find Christ. 
You will find him when you search for him 
with all your heart. Have you done that.^" 
After a little thought she answered "No." 
"Well, then," I said, "let us kneel righr down 
here now." She did this and in a few moments 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 4/ 

she was rejoicing in Christ. You can point one 
who has this difficulty to Lukexv. i-io, ; xix. 
lo. These passages show that Jesus is seek- 
ing the sinner and you can say, "if you are 
really seeking Christ it will not take a seeking 
Saviour and a seeking sinner very long to find 
each other." 

13. ^^ I cannot believey 

In most cases where one says this the real 
difficulty which lies back of their inability to 
believe is unwillingness to forsake sin. John 
V. 44, is a good passage to use with such a 
one, or Is. Iv. 7. In the use of the latter 
passage, hold the man's attention to the fact 
that all God asks of him is that he turn away 
from sin and turn to Him. 

14. ^^God won't receive me ^'''^ ox ^^ I have 
sinned away the day of grace,'*'' or "/ am 
afraid I have committed the unpardonable 
sin^ 

The people who honestly say this, are as a 
rule about the most difficult class to deal 
with of any that you will meet. John vi. 37, 
is the great text to use with them for it shows 
that Jesus will receive any one who will come 
to him. Hold him continually to that point, 
"Him that cometh to me I will in no wise 
cast out" and if they keep saying "He won't 



48 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

receive me" repeat the text, looking to the 
Spirit of God to carry the truth home. Many 
an utterly despondent soul has found light 
and peace through this verse in God's word. 
Rev. xxii. 17, is also useful as it shows that 
any one who will can have the water of life 
freely. Is. Iv. i, shows that any one who de- 
sires salvation can have it. Is. i. 18, shows 
that no matter how great a man's sins may 
be still here is pardon. Acts x. 43, and John 
iii. 16, that ^''whosoever''' will believe upon 
Christ will find pardon and eternal life. 
Romans x. 13, shows that any one, no 
matter who or what he is, who will "call 
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 
It is well sometimes to turn to Heb. vi. 4-6, 
and Matt. xii. 31-32, and show the inquirer 
just what the unpardonable sin is and what 
its results are. Matt. xii. 31, 32, shows that 
it is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and 
put it squarely to him, "have you ever blas- 
phemed against the Holy Ghost?" Heb. vi. 
4-6, shows that the difficulty is not in God's 
unwillingness to forgive, but in the man's 
unwillingness to repent and that any one who 
is concerned about his salvation evidently 
has not committed the unpardonable sin nor 
sinned away his day of grace. A little in- 



THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES 49 

struction along this line is often times all that 
is needed. 

15. ''It is too late,'' 

When an inquirer says this, it is of ten 
times well to use 2 Cor. vi. 2, and tell him 
that God says, it is just the time. Luke xxiii. 
39-43, is useful as showing that even at the 
last hour Jesus will harken to the sinner's 
cry. II Peter iii. 9, will show that His will is 
that none should perish, but that He is delay- 
ing the judgment that He may save as many 
as will come. Deut. iv. 30, 31, is an espec- 
ially helpful passage as it says "Even in the 
latter days" if thou turn to the Lord he will 
be merciful. Is. i. 18, and Rev. xxii. 17, can 
also be used here. 



CHAPTER VI 

DEALING WITN THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE 
HOPES 

I. Among those who entertain false hopes, 
perhaps the largest class are those who ex- 
pect to be saved by their righteous lives. 
These persons are easily known by such say- 
ings as these, "I am doing the best I can/' 
"I do more good than evil." ^4 am not a 
great sinner/' "I have never done anything 
very bad." Gal. iii. lo, is an excellent pas- 
sage to use, for it shows that all those who 
are trusting in their works are under the curse 
of the law and that there is no hope on the 
ground of the law for any one who does not 
"continue in all things which are written in 
the book of the law to do them." James ii. 
lO is also useful. Gal. ii. i6, and Romans 
iii. 19, 20 are very effective by showing that 
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be 
justified in God's sight. Matt. v. 20 — All 
these passages show the kind of righteousness 
God demands and that no man's righteousness 

50 



THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES 5 I 

comes up to God's standard, and that if a man 
wishes to be saved he must find some other 
means of salvation than by his own deeds. 
It is sometimes well in using these passages 
to say to the inquirer: "You do not under- 
stand the kind of righteousness that God de- 
mands or you would not talk as you do. Now 
let us turn to His word and see what kind of 
righteousness it is that God demands/' There 
is another way of dealing with this class, by the 
use of such passages as Luke xvi: i5;Rom.ii:i6, 
7 ; I Sam. xvi: 7. These passages show that God 
looks at the heart. Hold the inquirer right to 
that point. Every man when brought face 
to face with that, must tremble because he 
knows that whatever his outward life may 
be, his heart will not stand the scrutiny of 
God's eye. No matter how selfrighteous a 
man is, we need not be discouraged for some- 
where in the depths of every man's heart is 
the consciousness of sin and all we have to 
do is to work away until we touch that point. 
Every man's conscience is on our side. Matt, 
xxii. 37, 38 can be used when a man says "I 
am doing the best I can, or doing more good 
than evil." Say to him, "You are greatly mis- 
taken about that; so far from doing more 
good than evil, do you know that you have 



52 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

broken the first and greatest of God's laws?" 
Then show him the passage. Heb. xi. 6, 
John vi. 29, show that the one thing that God 
demands is faith and that without that it is 
impossible to please God, and John xvi. 9, 
shows that unbelief in Christ is the greatest 
sin. John iii. 36, shows that the question of 
eternal life depends solely upon a man's ac- 
cepting or rejecting Jesus Christ, and Heb. x. 
28, 29, that the sin which^ brings the heaviest 
punishment is that of treading under foot the 
Son of God. Before using this latter passage, it 
would be well to say, "You think you are very 
good, but do you know that you are commit- 
ting the most awful sin in God's sight which 
a man can commit.?" If he replies, "No", then 
say "Well let me show you from God's word 
that you are;" then turn to this passage and 
read it with great solemnity and earnestness. 

2. Another class of those who entertain 
false hopes, are those who think " God is too 
good to damn anyone ^ 

When any one says this, you can reply, "We 
know nothing of God's goodness but what we 
learn from the Bible, and we must go to that 
book to find out the character of God's good- 
ness. Let us turn to Romans ii. 2. 4,5." Hav- 
ing read the verses, you can say something 



THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES 53 

like this, "Now, my friend, you see that the 
purpose of God's goodness is to lead you to 
repentence, not to encourage you in sin and 
when we trample upon his goodness, then 
we are treasuring up wrath against the day of 
wrath and revelation of the righteous judg- 
ment of God." John viii. 21, 24 and iii. 36, 
will show the man that however good God 
may be that he will reject all who reject His 
Son. Still another way to deal with these 
men is by showing them from John v. 40, II 
Peter iii. 9- 11 or Ezek. xxxiii. 11, that it is 
not so much God who damns men as men 
who damn themselves in spite of God's good- 
ness because they will not come to Christ and 
accept the life freely offered. You can say 
"God is not willing that any should perish 
and he offers life freely to you, but there is 
one difficulty in the way. Let us turn to 
John V. 40, and see what the difficulty is ." 
Then read the passage: "Ye will not come to 
me that ye might have life," and say, "My 
friend here is the difficulty, you won't come; 
life is freely offered to you but if you will not 
accept it, you must perish." II Peter ii.4-6,9; 
Luke xiii. 3, show how the "good" God deals 
with persons who persist in sin. Sometimes 
this last passage can be effectively used in 



5 4 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

this way: "You say God is too good to damn 
any one. Now let us see what God Himself 
says in his word/* Then turn to the passage 
and read, "Except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
wise perish/' Repeat the passage over and 
over again until it has been driven home. 

3. A third class of those who entertain false 
hopes, are those who say "/ am trying to be a 
Christian^ John i. 12, will show them that 
it is not "trying'* to be a Christian or "trying" 
to live a better life or "trying" to do any- 
thing that God asks of us, but simply to receive 
Jesus Christ, who did it all, and you cau ask 
the inquirer, "will you now stop your trying 
and simply receive Jesus as Saviour.'* Acts 
xvi. 31, shows that God does not ask us to 
try what we can do but trust Jesus and what 
He has done and will do. Romans iii. 23-25, 
shows that we are not to be justified by trying 
to do, "but freely by His grace, through the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus" on the sim- 
ple condition of faith. 

4. Still another class of those who enter- 
tain false hopes are those who say^ ^^ I feel I 
am going to Heaven,^^ or "/ feel I am saved,"^^ 
Show them from John iii, 36 that it is not a 
question of what they feel but what God says, 
and what God says distinctly in his word is 



THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES 5 5 

that, "He that believeth not on the Son, shall 
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on 
him.*' One afternoon I was talking with a 
lady who a few weeks before had lost her on- 
ly child. At the time of the child's death she 
had been deeply interested, but her serious im- 
pressions had largely left her. I put to her 
the question, "Do you not wish to go where 
your little one has gone?" She replied at once 
"I expect to." "What makes you think you 
will?" I said. She replied, "I feel so, I feel that 
I will goto heaven when I die." I then asked 
her, if there was anything she could point to 
in the word of God which gave her a reason 
for believing that she was going to heaven 
when she died. "No," she said, "there is not." 
Then she turned and questioned me, saying, 
"Do you expect to go to heaven when you die?" 
"Yes", I replied, "I know I shall." How do 
you know it?" she said. "Have you any word 
from God for it ?" "Yes, "I answered and turned 
her to John iii. 36, She was thus led to see the 
difference between a faith that rested upon 
her feelings and a faith that rested upon the 
word of God. 

Luke xviii. 9-14, can also be used in 
the following way; you can say "there was 
a man in the Bible who felt he was all 



56 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

right, but was all wrong. Let me read 
you about him." Then read about the 
Pharisee who was so sure that he was all 
right, but who was all the time an unforgiven 
sinner;and make the inquirer see how untrust- 
worthy our feelings are and what the ground 
of assurance, is viz: God's word. Prov. xiv. 12 
can also be used as showing that "there is a way 
which seemeth right unto a man but the end 
thereof are the ways of death." 

5. The last class of those who entertain 
false hopes, are those who say they are saved 
though they are leading sinful lives. In the 
case of many forms of sin, a good passage to 
use is I Cor. vi: 9-10. I John ii: 29 will also 
in many cases sweep away this false hope. I 
John v: 4-5 is useful as showing that one who 
is really born of God overcomes the world and 
the fact that they are living in sin and are not 
overcoming the world is evidence that they 
have not been born of God. 



CHAPTER VII 

Dealing with those who Lack Assurance 
AND WITH Backsliders 

I. Those who Lack Assurance. 

Those who lack assurance may be divided 
into two classes. 

I. Those who lack assurance because of ig- 
norance, I John v:i3, will show all such that 
we may know that we have eternal life. Often 
times when you ask people if they know they 
are saved, or if they know their sins are for- 
given, or if they know they have eternal life, 
they will reply, "Why no one knows that." 
You can say to them, "Yes the Bible says that 
all who believe may know it," and then show 
them I John v:i3. John i:i2 shows that 
Christ gives to as many as receive Him, power 
to become the Sons of God. A good way to 
use this verse is to ask the inquirer questions 
regarding it. "What does every one who re- 
ceives Him receive power to become?" The 
inquirer if he is attentively looking at the 
verse will answer, "A son of God." Then ask 

57 



58* HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

the next question, ''Have you received Him? 
If he replies "Yes," then ask him, "What are 
you then?" It will probably be necessary to go 
over it several times but at last the inquirer 
will see it and say "I am a son of God." 
John iii:36 can be used in a similar way. Ask 
the inquirer "who do these verses say has ever- 
lasting life?" "He that believeth on the Son." 
"Do you believe on the Son?" "What have 
you then?" In a little while he will see it and 
say "Everlasting life." Then have him say 
over and over again "I have everlasting life," 
and have him kneel down and thank God for 
giving him everlasting life. One night I found 
a young man upon his knees at the close of 
the service in great distress. I showed him 
from the Bible how Jesus Christ had borne 
his sins and asked him if he would accept 
Christ as his Saviour; he said he would; but 
he seemed to get no light and went out of the 
meeting in deep distress. The next night he 
was there again, professing to have accepted 
Christ but with no assurance that his sins 
were forgiven. I tried to show him from God's 
word what God said of those who accepted 
the Saviour, but the light did not come. Finally 
he rose to leave the meeting. I had just 
shown him from John iii:36 that God said 



THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE 59 

that "He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life/' As he turned to leave me, he 
said, "Will you pray for me?" I said "Yes." 
He v^alked a little way down the aisle and I 
called to him and said, "Do you believe I will 
pray for you?" He turned with a look of as- 
tonishment and replied, "Yes, of course." 
"Why do you think I will pray for you?" I 
then asked. "Because you said so," he replied. 
I said "Isn't God's word as good as mine?" 
He saw it at once, that while he had been 
willing to believe my word, he had not been 
willing to believe God's word, and he received 
assurance on the spot and knew that he had 
everlasting life. John v:24 and I John v: 12 
can be used in a similar way. 

Acts xiii: 39 is very useful in dealing with 
this class of persons. Ask the inquirer: 
"What does this verse say that all who believe 
are?" "Justified". Then ask him, "Do you 
believe?" "What are you then?" It will 
probably take two or three times going over 
it before he sees it and when he answers "I 
am justified," tell him to thank God for justi- 
fying him and confess Christ, and see to it 
that he does so. Many inquirers of this class 
stumble over the fact that they have not the 
witness of the Holy Spirit. Show them from 



60 HOW TO BRING MEX TO CHRIST 

I John v: lo that the witness of the word to 
their acceptance is sufficient, and that, if they 
believe not this witness of God in His word, 
they make Him a har. Show them further 
from Eph. i, 13. that it is after w^e beheve the 
testimony of the word that we are "sealed 
with the Holy Spirit of promise." The natur- 
al order in assurance is this: First, assurance 
of our justification, resting on tJie " Word of 
Gody Second, public confession of Christ, 
"with the mouth". Romans x, 10. Third, 
the witness of the Holy Spirit. The trouble 
with many is that they wish to invert this 
order and have the w^itness of the Holy Spirit 
before they confess Christ w^ith the mouth. 
From Matt. x. 32, 33, we learn that when we 
confess Christ before men, then He confesses 
us before the Father. We cannot reasonably 
expect the w^itness of the Spirit from the Father 
until w^e are confessed before the Father. So 
confession of Christ logically precedes the 
witness of the Spirit. 

It is very important in using these texts to 
make clear what saving faith is;because many 
may say that they believe when they do not, in 
the sense of these texts, and so get a false as- 
surance and entertain false hopes and never 
find deliverance. There is a great deal of care- 



THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE 6 1 

less dealing with those who lack assurance. 
Workers are so anxious to have inquirers come 
out clearly that they urge them on to assur- 
ance when they have no right to have assur- 
ance of salvation as they have not really ac- 
cepted Christ. 

John i: 12, and II Tim. i: 12, make very 
clear what believing is — receiving Jesus or 
committing to Jesus. Romans x: 10, will serve 
a similar purpose by showing that it "is with 
the heart man believeth unto righteousness.'^ 

2. Those who lack assurance because of 
sin. The trouble often with those who lack 
assurance is that there is some sin or ques- 
tionable practice which they ought to confess 
and give up. John viii: 12, Is. Iv: 7, Pro v. 
xxviii: 13, Ps. xxxii: 1-5, are useful passages 
in dealing with this class of men, for they 
show that it is when sin is confessed and 
forsaken and we follow Christ, that we receive 
pardon, light and assurance. Often times it 
is well when one lacks assurance to put the 
question squarely to him: "Do you know of 
any sin on to which you are holding or any- 
thing in your life which your conscience trou- 
bles you about V 

II. Back-sliders. There are two classes 
of back-sliders and they should be dealt with 
in different ways. 



62 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

I. Careless back-sliders ; those who have 
no great desire to co7ne back to the Saviour, 
With such persons use Jer. ii: 5, drive the 
question right home, "What iniquity have you 
found in the Lord?^^ Show them the base 
ingratitude and folly of forsaking such a 
Saviour and Friend. Very likely they have 
wandered away because of unkind treatment 
by professed Christians, but hold them right 
to the point of how the Lord treated them 
and how they are now treating Him. Use 
also Jer. ii: 13, and show them what they 
have forsaken and for what. Have them read 
the verse and ask them, "is not that verse 
true? When you forsook the Lord did you 
not forsake the fountain of living waters' and 
turn to ^broken cisterns that can hold no 
water.^''* Illustrate the text by showing how 
foolish it would be to turn from a fountain of 
pure living water to broken cisterns or muddy 
pools. God has greatly honored this verse 
in bringing back back-sliders to himself. Use 
Jer. ii. 19, when they have read it ask them 
whether they have not found it "an evil thing 
and bitter^' having forsaken the Lord their 
God. Prov. xiv: 14; I Kings xiiQ, and Luke 
xv: 13-17, can often times be used with effect 
with an impenitent back-slider, showing him 



THOSE WHO LACK ASSURANCE 63 

the result of his wandering. I have a friend 
who always uses Amos, iv: 11, 12, and often 
times with good results. 

2. Back-sliders who are sick of their wan- 
derings and sin and desire to come back to 
the Lord. These are perhaps as easy a class 
to deal with as we ever find. Jer. iii: 12, 13, 
and 22, will show them how ready the Lord 
is to receive them back and that all he asks 
of them is that they acknowledge their sin 
and return to him. Hos. xiv: 1-4, is full of 
tender invitation to penitent back-sliders and 
also shows the way back to God. Is xliii: 
22, 24, 25, and Is. xliv: 20-22; Jer. xxix: 11- 
13, Deut. iv: 28-31; II. Chron.vii: 14; I John 
i: 9; ii: 1-2, set forth God's unfailing love for 
the back-slider and His willingness to receive 
him back. Mark xvi: 7; II. Chron. xv:4; 
xxxiii: 1-9, 12, 13, give illustrations of great 
back-sliders who returned to the Lord and how 
lovingly He received them, I John i:9, Jer. iii: 
12-13 ; II Chron. xv: 12, 15 ; vii: 14, show just 
what steps the back-slider must take to come 
back to the Lord and be restored to his favor, 
viz: humble himself, confess his sins and turn 
from his sin. Luke xv: 11-24, is perhaps the 
most useful passage of all in dealing with a 
backsHder who wishes to return for it has both 



64 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

the steps which the back-slider must take and 
the kind of reception he will receive. 

When a back-slider has returned he should 
always be given instructions as to how to live 
so as not to back-slide again. The sort of in- 
struction to be given will be found in Chap- 
ter xii. sec. 1 6. 



CHAPTER VIII 

DEALING WITH PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND IN- 
FIDELS 

There are various classes of sceptics and 
the same methods of deahng will not answer 
for all 

I. Skeptics who are mere triflers. With 
such use I. Cor. i:i8. If a man says the Bible 
is foolishness to him, you can say "Yes, that 
is just what the Bible itself says.'' He will 
probably be surprised at this reply and then 
you can show him I Cor. i: i8; "the preach- 
ing of the cross is to them that perish foolish- 
ness.'' Then you can say to him, "You see 
that the Bible says that it is foolishness to 
some — them that perish — and the reason it is 
foolishness to you is because you are perish- 
ing." I Cor. ii: 14, can be used in a similar 
way. A worker was one night dealing with a 
man who said to him when he was trying to 
persuade him to come to Christ, "all that 
you are saying is foolishness to me." The 
worker quickly replied, "Yes, that is just what 

65 



66 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

the Bible says/^ The man looked at him in 
astonishment and said: "What?" "You said all 
that I have been saying to you was foolishness 
to you, and that is just what the Bible says." 
The man was more astonished then than ever 
and the worker turned him to I Cor.ii: i4,"But 
the natural man receiveth not the things of 
the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness 
unto him; neither can he know them because 
they are spiritually discerned." The man 
said "I never saw that before; I never thought 
of it in that light before." II Cor. iv: 3, 4, is 
very useful in showing the trifler that he is 
lost and that his skepticism arises from the 
fact that the "god of this world hath blinded 
his mind." II Thes. ii: 10-12, is useful in 
showing the origin of skepticism, "because 
they received not the love of the truth" and 
the consequences of skepticism — delusion and 
damnation. John viii: 21, 24, is also very 
searching in dealing with this class of skeptics, 
showing the terrible consequences of unbelief. 
Johnv: 44, iii. 18, 19, 20 expose the origin of 
scepticism. Ps. xiv: i, is useful in some 
cases though one needs to be guarded in its 
use, using only it when it can be done with 
earnestness and tenderness. II Thes. i: 7, 8 
can also be used with good results. 



PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS 6/ 

2. Ser totes minded skeptics. There is a 
large class of men and women in our day who 
are really desirous of knowing the truth but 
who are in an utter fog of skepticism. John 
vii:i7is a very helpful passage in dealing with 
such. It shows the way out of skepticism to 
faith. Get the skeptic to act along the line 
of that verse. Put to him the question, "Will 
you surrender your will to God and promise 
to search honestly and earnestly to find out 
what God's will is that you may do it, to ask 
God to show you whether you need a Saviour 
and whether Jesus is a Divine Saviour, the 
Son of God; and will you promise that, if 
God will show you that Jesus is the Son of 
God, to accept Him as your Saviour and con- 
fess Him before the world?" Have him make 
his promise definite, by putting it down in 
black and white. If you get him to do this, 
his skepticism will soon take wings. 

One evening at the close of a service 
I asked a gentleman why he was not a 
Christian. He replied: "I will tell you. 
I do not talk much about it; for I am not 
proud of it as some are, but I am a skeptic. 
I have lain awake nights thinking about this 
matter." "Do you believe there is a God?" 
"Yes, I never gave up my faith that there was 



68 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

a God/' "Well, if there is a God you ought 
to obey him. Will you to-night take your 
stand upon the will of God to follow it wher- 
ever it carries you even if it carries you over 
the Niagara Falls?" "I try to do as near right 
as I know how/' "That is not what I asked; 
will you take your stand on the will of God 
to follow it wherever it carries you?" "I 
have never put it that way." "Will you put 
it that way to-night?" "I will." "Do you 
believe God answers prayer?" "I don't know; 
I am afraid not." "You don't know that he 
does not?" "No." "Well, here is a possible 
clue to the truth, will you follow it, will you 
ask God to show you whether Jesus is His 
Son; and what your duty concerning him 
is?" "I will." Not long after that the 
man came into a meeting with a new look in 
his face. He arose and said: "I was all in a 
mist. I believed nothing." Then he told us 
what he had done. He had done just as he 
promised. "And now," he continued, "my 
doubts are all gone. I don't know where they 
have gone but they are gone." If the skeptic 
will not act in this way you can "stop his 
mouth" by showing him that he is not an hon- 
est skeptic and that the trouble with him is not 
his skepticism but his sin. If the man does not 



PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS 69 

believe there is a God, you can begin one step 
further back. Ask him if he behves there is 
an absolute difference between right and wrong 
(if he does not he is a mere trifler). If he says 
he does, ask him if he will take his stand 
upon the right and follow it wherever it 
carries him. He may try to put you off by 
saying "What is right.?'^ or that he is doing the 
right as nearly as he knows how. Get him to 
promise that he will take his stand upon the 
right, whatever he -may find it to be and fol- 
low it whatever the consequence may be. 
Then show him that if he is honest in this 
promise, he will try to find out what the right 
is. Next say to him. "You do not know 
whether God answers prayer or not. I know 
He does, and you will admit that here is 
a possible clue to knowledge. If you are 
honest in your desire to know the truth, you 
will follow this possible clue. You can 
get down and at least pray, *0 my God, if 
there be a God, teach me thy will and 
I will do it. Show me whether Jesus is 
thy son or not. If you show that he is, I 
will accept Him as my Saviour and confess 
Him before the world.'* Then tell the man 
to begin reading the Gospel of John, reading 
slowly and thoughfully, only a few verses at 



70 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

a time, asking God for light each time before 
reading and promising God that he will follow 
the light as fast as He makes it clear. If the 
man will follow this rational course, it will re- 
sult in every case in the skeptic coming out 
into the clear light of faith in the Bible, as 
the word of God, and Jesus Christ as the Son 
of God. If the man is not an honest skeptic, 
this course of treatment will reveal the fact 
and then you can show him that the difficulty 
is not with his skepticism but with his rebel- 
lious heart. 

If the man says that he does not know 
whether there is an absolute difference be- 
tween right and wrong, then you can set it 
down at once that he is bad and turn upon 
him kindly and earnestly and say to him, 
"My friend, there is something wrong in 
your life; no man that is living right doubts 
that there is a difference between right and 
wrong. Now you probably know what is 
wrong and the trouble is not with your skep- 
ticism, but with you, sin.'' One afternoon 
after I had given out an invitation for any 
skeptic or any one else who wished to talk 
with me, to remain after the meeting, a young 
man with whom I had dealt some months be- 
fore stayed. I asked him what his trouble was. 



PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS 7 1 

He replied, "The same trouble that I told you 
in the spring, I cannot believe that there is 
a God." I asked him if he had done as I 
had advised him to do in our former conver- 
sation; if he had taken his stand upon the 
right to follow it wherever it carried him. He 
rephed that he did not know that there was 
any difference between right and wrong. "I do 
not know that there is such a thing as right. '^ 
I looked him right in the eyes and said, "Is 
there some sin your life.?" 

He said "Yes." I said "what is it?" He re- 
phed, "The same that I told you last spring." 
I said, "You promised to give it up, have you 
given it up .?" He said " No, I have not. " "Well, " 
I said, "there is the difficulty, not with your 
skepticism. Give up that sin and your skep- 
ticism will take care of itself." In some con- 
fusion he replied, "I guess that is the trouble." 

3. Those who doubt the existence of God. 

The passages under i and 2 can also be 
used with this class and generally it is wise to 
use them before those given under this head. 
There are however, three passages that are 
often times effective with this specific 
class of skeptics. Ps. xiv: i; before using 
this passage you can say to the man, "Let me 
read you from God's own word what he 



72 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

says about those who deny his existence.'' 
Often times it is well to leave the passage 
to do its own work. Sometimes, however, it 
is wise to dwell a little upon it. Call the 
man's attention to the fact that it is "in his 
heart" that the fool says "there is no God." 
He does not believe there is a God because he 
does not wish to. You can add that the folly 
of saying in one's heart that there is no God 
is seen in two points; first, there is a God and 
it is folly to say there is not one, and second, 
the doctrine that there is not a God always 
brings misery and wretchedness. Put it right 
to the man, and ask him if he ever knew a 
happy atheist. Ps. xix: i, 2, Romans i: 19- 
22, are also effective passages. 

4. Those who doubt that the Bible is the 
word of God, 

Romans iii: 3, 4, is useful in showing that 
questioning the fact does not alter the fact. 
Matt, xxiv: 35, is often used by the Spirit to 
carry to the heart of the skeptic the certainty 
and immutability of God's word. Mark vii: 
13; Matt. v:i8; John x:35; Luke xxiv:27,44, 
are useful as giving Christ's testimony that 
the Old Testament is the Word of God. They 
are especially helpful in dealing with those 
who say that they accept the authority of 



PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS 73 

Christ but not that of the Old Testament, 
for in them Christ sets His seal to the Old 
Testament Scriptures and they show conclu- 
sively that if we accept His authority we 
must accept that of the Old Testament also. 
Along the same line John xiv:26, and xvi:i2, 
13, are useful as containing Christ's indorse- 
ment of the New Testament. 

I Thes. ii:i3, can be used with good effect 
to meet the statement which is often made, 
that Paul nowhere claims that his teaching 
is the word of God. H Peter i:2i, John viii: 
47; Luke xvi:30 31, can also be used in deal- 
ing with this class. H John v:io, is very 
effective in showing the guilt of those who 
believe not the record that God has given. 
Before using this last passage you can say, 
"You doubt, do you, that the Bible is the 
Word of God? Now let us see what God says 
about those that believe not His testimony;" 
then turn them to the passage and have them 
read it. 

5. Those who doubt a future existejice. 
I Cor. xv:35-36; Jno. v:28-29, Dan. xii:2. 

6. Those who doubt the doctrine of future 
punishment, or the conscious, endless suffer- 
ing of the lost. Rev. xxi: 8, defines what 
"death" means when used in the scriptures 



74 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

Rev. xvii:8, compared with Rev. xix:20, 
shows what perdition or destruction means in 
the scriptures. Rev. xix: 20, compared with 
Rev. xx: 10 shows that "the lake of fire" is not 
a place where those consigned to it cease to 
exist, for we find in the latter passage the 
beast and false prophet are still there at the 
end of a thousand years and that they, so far 
from being annihilated or losing conscious ex- 
istence are tormented night and day forever 
and ever. Rev. xiii:7-8 show that those who 
are subjected to the terrible retribution here 
described are those whose names are not writ- 
ten in the Book of Life. Matt. x:28 shows 
that there is destruction for the soul apart 
from the destruction of the body. Luke 
xii:5, shows that after one is killed and is of 
course dead, there is a punishment in "hell". 
Mark iii: 28-29 (R. V.) shows that there is such 
a thing as eternal sin. Luke xvi: 23-26, shows 
that the condition of the wicked dead is one 
of conscious torment. Mark xiv:2i, shows 
that the retribution visited upon the wicked 
is of so stern a character that it would be 
better for him upon whom it is visited if he 
had never been born. 

II Peter ii:4, Jude 6, show that hell is 
not a place where the inhabitants cease to 



PROFESSED SKEPTICS AND INFIDELS 75 

exist, but where they are reserved alive, for 
the purpose of God. Heb. x: 28-29, show 
that while the punishment of transgression of 
the Mosaic law was death, that sorer punish- 
ment awaits those who have "trodden un- 
der foot the Son of God/' Matt. xxv:4i gives 
further light upon the subject. It shows that 
the wicked go to the same place with the 
Beast and False Prophet and the Devil men- 
tioned in Rev. xix:20, and xx:io, and share 
the same endless, conscious torment. 

6 Those who doubt the divinity of 
Christ. 

a. In Acts x: 36, I Cor. ii:8, compare Ps. 
xxiv:8-io, Heb. if8, John xx:28, Rom. ix: 5, 
Rev. i: 17, compared Is. xliv: 6, we find several 
divine titles appHed to Christ, the same titles 
being applied to Christ in the New Testament 
that are applied to Jehovah in the old. 

b. In Heb. i:io, 13, we find divine offices 
attributed to Christ. 

c. In John v: 22-23, compare Rev. v. 13 : 
Heb. i:6, Phil. ii:io, we find it taught that 
Jesus Christ should be worshiped as God. 

d. In John v: 22-23 ^^ fi^^d Jesus claiming 
the same honor as his Father, and either He 
was Divine or the most blasphemous impos- 
tor that ever lived. Drive it home that the 



^(> HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

one who denies Christ's Divinity puts Him in 
the place of a blasphemous imposter. Mark 
xiv: 61-62, can be used in a similar way. 

e. 1 Jno. ii: 22-23, compared with I Jno. 
v:i-5, shows that the one who denies the 
Divinity of Christ, no matter who he may be, 
is a Har and an antichrist. I Jno. v:io-i2, 
shows that he who does not believe that Jesus 
is divine makes God a liar, "Because he be- 
lieveth not the record that God gave of His 
Son.'' Heb. x: 28-29, shows the folly, guilt 
and punishment of rejecting Christ as the 
Son of God. John viii:24, shows beyond a 
question that no one who does not believe in 
the Divinity of Jesus Christ will be saved. 
Jno. xx:3i, shows that we have life through 
believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of 
God. 

(Note. It is best as a rule before taking up 
specific difficulties to deal with the inquirer 
with the passage under the head of "skeptics 
who are triflers,'' or those under "Serious 
minded skeptics.'') 

Often times there is no need to take up 
specific questions as for example about future 
punishment until the inquirer has first settled 
the matter whether he will accept Christ as 
his Saviour. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DEALING WITH THE COMPLAINING. 

I. Those who complain of god. 

Many that you wish to lead to Christ will 
say something to the effect that God is un- 
just and cruel, Job. xl:2, and Romans ix:20, 
are very pointed passages to use with in- 
quirers of this class and need no comment. It 
might be well to preface the reading of the 
passages with some remark Hke this; "Do 
you know of how enormous a sin you are 
guilty in accusing God of being unjust and 
cruel? Let me read what God says about it 
in His Word." Then read the passages. Ro- 
mans xi:33 will serve to show the complain- 
ing that the reason God's ways seem unjust 
and cruel is because they are so deep and 
unsearchable; and that the trouble is not with 
God's ways but the limitation of their under- 
standing. Heb. xii: 5-7-10-1 1 are especially 
useful in cases where the inquirer complains 
because of his own misfortunes or sorrows. Is. 
lv:8-9 will often times prove helpful. Not in- 

77 



78 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

frequently you will meet with one who will say 
that "God is unjust to create men and then 
damn them." Turn such an one to Ezek. 
xxxiii:ii. This passage meets this complaint 
by showing that God has no pleasure in the 
death of the wicked, but desires their welfare 
and that the wicked bring damnation upon 
themselves by their stubborn refusal to repent. 

I Tim. ii:3-4, shows that God, so far from 
creating man to damn him, desires that all 
men be saved. II Peter iii: 9, teaches that 
God is not willing that any should perish and 
is delaying His purposes in order that all may 
come to repentance. John v:40, and Matt. 
xxiii:37, show that the whole cause of man's 
damnation is his own willful and persistent re- 
fusal to come to Christ. John iii: 36, and iii: 
16, are also helpful in many cases. 

2. Those who complain of the bible. 
Man will often times say, "The Bible is con- 
tradictory and absurd;" or "the Bible seems 
foolish to me." Two classes of passages can 
be used in dealing with such inquirers. 

a. I Cor. i: 18, ii:i4, II Cor. iv: 3-4, Dan. 
xii:io, Rom. xi: 33-34 and in extreme cases 

II Thes. ii: lo-i 1-12. 

b. Jno. vii:i7, Ps. xxv:i4, Matt. xi:25, 
(see remarks under Serious Minded Skeptics 



DEALING WITH THE COMPLAINING 79 

and Skeptics who are Triflers.) Sometimes the 
best thing to do with a man who says the 
Bible is full of contradictions, is to hand him 
your Bible and ask him to show you one. In 
most cases he will not attempt to do it; as 
people who complain about the Bible, as a rule 
know nothing about its contents. One day 
a man was brought to me to deal with and 
when I asked him why he was not a Christian 
he replied, "The Bible is full of contradic- 
tions. " I at once asked him to show me one. 
"Ohl'^he said, "it's full of them.'' I said, "If 
it is full of them you ought to be able to show 
me one." He said, "Well, there is one in 
Psalms." I said, "Show it to me." He com- 
menced looking in the back of the New Test- 
ament for the book of Psalms. I said, "You 
are not looking in the right part of the Bible 
for Psalms. Let me find it for you." I found 
him the book of Psalms and handed it to him. 
After fumbling around he said, "I could find 
it, if I had my own Bible here." "Well," I 
said, "Will you bring your Bible to-night .^" He 
promised he would and agreed to meet me at 
a certain place in the church. The appointed 
hour came, but he did not. Some months 
afterwards in another series of meetings in 
the same church one of the workers stopped 



80 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

me and said, "Here's a man I wish you would 
deal with; he is a skeptic/^ I looked at him 
and recognized him as the same man. "Oh!*' 
I said, "you are the man that lied to me here;" 
and with much confusion he admitted that 
he was, but he was still playing his old game 
of saying that the Bible was full of contradic- 
tions. In nine cases out of ten, men who 
say this, know nothing about the Bible, and 
when you ask them to show you a contradic- 
tion in the Bible they are filled with confu- 
sion. 

3. Those who complain of God's way of 
Salvation. 

A great many men will say, "I do not see 
why God could not save men in some other 
way than by the death of His son.'* Is. Iv: 
8, 9, Romans xi:33 are useful in dealing with 
such. I have used Romans ix: 20 with effect 
with men of this sort. A young student said to 
me one night, when I asked why he was not a 
Christian, that he did not see why it was nec- 
essary for Christ to die for him; why God did 
not save him in some other way. I opened 
my Bible and read to him Romans ix:20, 
and put the question right to him, "Who art 
thou that repliest against God.^" and then 
said to him, "Do you realize what "you are 



DEALING WITH THE COMPLAINING 8 1 

doing, that you are condemning God?" The 
young man very much confused said "I did 
not mean to do that. " " Well, " I said ; "that is 
what you are doing.'' "If that is so," he re- 
plied, "I will take it back." A good way to 
do with such men is to show them by the use 
of passages given under the chapter "Dealing 
with the Indifferent" that they are lost sin- 
ners. When any one is led to see this, God's 
way of salvation will approve itself as just the 
thing. 

4. Those who complain of Christians. 
Very frequently when we try to persuade men 
to accept Christ as their Saviour, they reply; 
''''There are too many hypocrites in church.'^'' 
Romans xiv: 4 and 12, especially the latter 
verse, are exceedingly effective in dealing with 
such. 

Romans ii: I, and Matt. vii:i-5, are also 
excellent. Jno. xxi:2i,22 is useful in showing 
the objector that he is solely responsible for 
his own relation to Christ and that what others 
do is none of his affairs. Sometimes the in- 
quirer will complain of the way Christian 
people have treated him. In such a case turn 
the attention of the inquirer from the way in 
which Christian people have treated him to 
the way in which God has treated him. For 



82 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

this purpose use Jer. ii:5. Is. liii:5; Romans 
v:6-8. Then ask him if the fact that Chris- 
tians have treated him badly is any excuse foi 
his treatment of a Heavenly Father who has 
treated him so well. One night turning to an 
aged man I asked him if he was a Christian. 
He replied that he was not, that he was a 
back-slider. I asked him why he back-slid. 
He replied that Christian people had treated 
him badly. I opened my Bible and read 
Jer. ii:5, to him, ^^Thus saith the Lord, what 
iniquity have your fathers found in me, that 
they are gone far from me, and have walked 
after vanity and are become vain?'^ I said, 
^*Did you find any iniquity in God? Did God 
not use you well." With a good deal of feel- 
ing the man admitted that God had not 
treated him badly and I held him right to this 
point of God's treatment of him, and not 
man's treatment, and his treatment of God. 
Matt. xviii:23-3 5, Eph. iv: 30-32, Matt, vi: 
14-15, are also useful as showing the absolute 
necessity of our forgiving men. 



CHAPTER X 

DEALING WITH THOSE WHO WISH TO PUT OFF 
A DECISION UNTIL SOME OTHER TIME. 

I. There are several classes of those who 
wish to put off a decision. One of the largest 
is composed of those who say "/ want to 
waity^^ or ^^Not to-night,'^'' or ^^I will think about 
it,^^ or^^l will come to-^norrow night,'^'' or some 
such thing. Use Is. lv:6. The inquirer hav- 
ing read the passage, ask him when it is that 
he is to seek the Lord, and when he answers 
"While he may be found," ask him when that 
is and then drive it home. Ask him if he is 
sure that he can find Him to-morrow if he 
does not seek Him to-day. Or you can use 
Prov. xxix:i. It is well after he has read 
this verse to ask the one with whom you are 
dealing what becomes of the one who "being 
often reproved hardeneth his neck" and when 
he answers "He shall be destroyed," ask him 
how he shall be destroyed, and when he an- 
swers "Suddenly," ask him if he is willing to 
run the risk. Or you can use Matt, xxv: 10-12. 

83 



84 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

Ask him who it was that went into the mar- 
riage? and when he answers ^^They that were 
ready'' ask him if he is ready. Then ask him 
what happened after those who were ready 
went in." Then ask him where "those who 
were not ready" were. Then put it to him, 
"Are you willing to be on the out-side .^" Or you 
can use Luke xiiiiQ, 20. Ask the inquirer for 
how long a time this man thought he had made 
provision. Then ask him: "If God should 
call you to-night would you be ready.-^" Matt. 
xxiv:44, is especially effective in deaing with 
those who say "I am not ready." I Kings xviii: 
21, can be used with good effect. An excel- 
lent way to use this verse is by asking the per- 
son whether he would be willing to wait a 
year and not have an opportunity under any 
circumstances, no matter what came up, of 
accepting Christ. When he answers, "No, I 
might die within a year," ask him if he would 
be willing to wait a month. Then bring it 
down 10 a week and finally to a day, and ask 
him if he would like God and the Holy Spirit 
and all Christians to leave him alone for a 
day and he not have an opportunity, under any 
circumstances of accepting Christ.^ Almost 
any thoughtful person will say, "No." Then 
tell him that if that is the case he had better 



THOSE PUTTING OFF A DECISION 85 

accept Christ at once. Dr. Chalmers was the 
first one to use this method and it has been 
followed by many others with great success. 
Prov. xxvii:i, James iv: 13, 14; Job. xxxvi: 18; 
Luke xiii:24-28; xii: 19,20; John viii:2i; xii: 
35; vii: 33-34, can also be used with this class. 

2. Those who say "/ must get fixed in 
business firstythen I will become a Christian^ 
or"I must do something else first. "Matt, vi: 33, 
is the great passage to use in such cases; for it 
shows that we must seek the kingdom of God 
first. 

3. Those who say ''''lam waiting God' s 
time^ If one says this, ask him if he will 
accept Christ in God's time if you will show 
him when God's time is. Then turn to 11 
Cor. vi:2, or Heb. iii:i5. 

4. Those who say "/ am too young,^^ or "/ 
want to wait until I am older y Ecc. xii:i, is 
an all sufficient answer to such. Matt, xix: 
14, and xviii:.3, are also good passages to use 
as they show that youth is the best time to 
come to Christ and that all must become 
children, even if they are old, before they can 
enter into the kingdom of Heaven. It is often 
times wise in dealing with persons who wish 
to put off a decision until some time in the 
future to use the passages given for "The Indif- 



86 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

ferent/- until such a deep impression is made 
of their need of Christ that they will not be 
willing to postpone accepting Christ. 

In dealing with those under " i" above, it 
is best to use only one passage and drive that 
home by constant repetiton. One night I was 
dealing with a man who was quite interested 
but who kept sayng "I cannot decide to- 
night." I quoted Prov. xxix:i. To every 
answer he made I would come back to this 
passage. I must have repeated it a great many 
times in the course of the talk until the man 
was made to feel not only his need of Christ 
but the danger of delaying and the necessity 
of a prompt decision. He tried to get away 
from the passage but I held him to this one 
point. The passage lingered with him and 
it was emphasized by the providence of God; 
for that very night he was assaulted and quite 
seriously injured, and he came the next night 
with his head bandaged and accepted Christ. 
The pounding which he received from his as- 
sailant would probably have done him little 
good if the text of scripture had not been 
pounded into his mind. 



CHAPTER XL 

DEALING WITH THE WILLFUL AND THE DE- 
LUDED. 

THE WILLFUL. 

I. There are several varieties of the Will- 
ful. There are those for example who say 
"/ do not wish you to talk to mey In such a 
case it is usually best to give some pointed 
passage of scripture and let it talk for it- 
self and then leave the person alone to re- 
flect upon it. Romans vi:23; Heb. x:28,29 
Heb. xi;25; Mark xvi: i6; Prov. xxix:i, and 
Prov. i:24,33, are passages which are good for 
this purpose. 

Then there are those who say ^^ I cannot for- 
givey Matt. vi:i5 and xviii: 23-35, ^^^ good 
to use as showing that they must forgive or be 
lost. Phil. iv:i3, and Ezek. xxxvi: 26, will 
show how them they can forgive. There are 
a great many people who are kept from 
Christ by an unforgiving spirit. Some 
times this difficulty can be removed by getting 

87 



88 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

the person to kneel in prayer and ask God 
to take away their unforgiving spirit. I rea- 
soned a long time once with an inquirer who 
was under deep conviction, but was held back 
from accepting Christ by a hatred in her heart 
toward some one who had wronged her. She 
kept insisting that she could not forgive. 
Finally I said, "let us get down and tell God 
about this matter. To this she consented 
and scarcely had we knelt when she burst into 
a flood of tears, and the difficulty was removed 
and she accepted Christ immediately. 

There are those again who say "/ love the 
world too muchy Mark viii:36, is the great 
text to use with this class. Luke xiv:33, will 
show the absolute necessity that the world be 
given up. Luke xii: 16-20. i Jno. ii:i5, 16, 
17, will show the folly of holding on to the 
world and Ps. lxxxiv:ii, Romans viii: 32, will 
show that the Lord will hold back no good 
thing from them. 

There are those who say "/ cannot acknowl- 
edge a wrong that I have done^ Prov. xxviii: 
13, will show the wretchedness and woe that 
is sure to follow unless the wrong is acknowl- 
edged. Others will say "/ do not want to make 
a public confession.'''' Romans x:io. Matt.x: 
32,33, will show that God will accept nothing 



THE WILLFUL AND DELUDED 89 

else. Mark viii:38, Jno. xii:42,43, and Prov. 
xxix:25, will show the peril of not making it. 
There are those who say "/ want to have my 
own wayy Is. IxviS-g, will show how much 
better God's way is, and Prov. xiv:i2, shows 
the consequences of having our own way. 
Finally there are those who say "/ neither 
accept Christ nor reject Him^ Matt. xii:30, 
will show that they must do one or the other. 
This verse has been to the conviction of a 
great many. 

2. The Deluded 

a. Under this head come the Roman 
Catholics, A good way to deal with a Roman 
Catholic is to show him the necessity of the 
new birth and what the new birth is. Jno. 
iii: 3, 5, 7, shows the necessity of the new birth. 
What the new birth is, is shown in Ezek 
xxxvi:25-27; 11 Cor. v:i7; 11 Peter \\\. 
Many Roman Catholics understand the new 
birth to mean baptism, but it can be easily 
shown them that the language used does not 
fit baptism. Further than this, in i Cor. 
iv:i5, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians 
he had begotten them again through the gos- 
pel. If the new birth meant baptism he must 
have baptized them, but in i Cor. i: 14, he 
declares he had not baptized them. Acts 



90 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

viii: 13, 21, 23, shows that a man may be 
baptized, and yet his heart not be "right in 
the sight of God" so he has "neither part 
nor lot in this matter.'' It is well to take a 
step further and show the inquirer what the 
evidences of the new birth are. i Jno. ii:29; 
iii. 9, I4-I7;v: 1-4, give the Biblical evidences 
of the new birth. The next question that 
will arise is "How to be born again." This 
question is answered in Jno. i: 12; i Peter i:23; 
Jas. i: 18. 

xActs iii: 19, is a good text to use with Ro- 
man Catholics as it shows the necessity of re- 
pentence and conversion. What repentance is, 
will be shown by Is. lv:7, Jonah iii: 10. Still 
another way of dealing with Roman Catholics 
is by showing them that it is the believer's 
privilege to know that he has eternal life. Ro- 
man Catholics almost always lack assurance. 
They do not know that they are forgiven, but 
hope to be forgiven some day. If you can 
show them that we may knoiv that we are 
forgiven and that we have eternal life, it will 
awaken in a great many of them a desire for 
this assurance. i John v: 13, shows that it 
is the believer's privilege to know. Acts, xiii: 
38,39; x:43, John iii: 36, are very useful in lead- 
ing them into this assurance. Still another way 



THE WILLFUL AND DELUDED 9 1 

of dealing with them (but it is not best to use 
it until you have already made some progress 
with them) is to show them the advantage of 
Bible study. Good texts for this purpose are 
Johnv:39; i Peter ii: 1,2; 11 Tim. iii: 13-17, 
Jas. i:2i,22; Ps. i: 1,2; Josh. i:8; Mark vii: 
7,8,13, Matt. xxii:29. These texts, except- 
ing the one in i Peter ii: 1,2, are all practically 
the same in the "Douay" or Roman Catholic 
Bible as they are in the Protestant Bible and 
it is well oftentimes in dealing with a Catholic 
to use the Catholic Bible. 

Still another way of dealing with a Roman 
Catholic is to use the same method that you 
would in dealing with an impenitent sinner — 
that is to awaken a sense that he is a sinner 
and needs Christ. For this purpose use Matt. 
xxii:37,38; Gal.iii: 10, 13, Is. liii:6. 

Many people think that there is no use of 
talking with Roman Catholics, that they can- 
not be brought to Christ. This is a great mis- 
take. Many of them are longing for some- 
thing they do not find in the Roman Catholic 
church, and, if you can show them from the 
word of God how to find it, they come along 
very easily and they make very earnest Chris- 
tians. Do not attack the Roman Catholic 
church. Give them the truth, and the errors 



92 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

in time will take care of themselves. Often 
times our attacks only expose our ignorance. 

There is one point at which we always have 
the advantage in dealing with a Roman Catho- 
lic; that is that there is peace and power in 
Christianity as we know it that there is not 
in Christianity as they know it, and they ap- 
preciate the difference. 

b. Jews, 

The best way to deal with a Jew is to show 
him that his own Bible points to Christ. The 
most helpful passages to use are Is. liii; 
Dan. ix:26; Zech. xii:io. There are also 
useful passages in the New Testament; the 
whole book of Hebrews, especially the ninth 
and tenth chapters and the seventh chapter, 
25th to 28th verses, and the whole Gospel 
of Matthew. A great many Jews to-day are 
inquiring into the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, 
and are open to approach upon this subject. 
The great difficulty in the way of the Jew 
coming out as a Christian is the terrific perse- 
cution which he must endure if he does. This 
difficulty can be met by the passages already 
given under the head of "Those Who are 
Afraid of Persecution " 

(Note. There are a number of good tracts 
for Jews which can be had from the Mildmay 



THE WILLFUL AND DELUDED 93 

Mission to the Jews, 79 Mildmay Road, Lon- 
don.) 

c. Spiritualists Lev. xix:3i; xx:6; Deut. 
xviii: 10-12; 11 Kings xxi: 1,2,6; i Chron. x: 
13; Is. viii: 19,20; i John iv 11-3; 1 1 Thes. ii: 
9-12, are passages to be used with this class. 

In dealing with all classes of deluded peo- 
ple it is well to begin by using Jno. vii: 17, and 
bring them to a place where they heartily de- 
sire to know the truth. There is no hope of 
bringing a man out of his delusion, unless he 
desires to know the truth. 



CHAPTER XII. 

SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 

There are a few general suggestions to be 
made that will prove helpful to the worker. 

I. As a 7'itle choose persons to deal with 
of your ozvn sex and about yoitr own age. 
There are exceptions to this rule. One should 
be always looking to the Holy Spirit for his 
guidance as to whom to approach, and He may 
lead us to one of the opposite sex, but unless 
there is clear guidance in the matter, it is 
quite commonly agreed among those who have 
had large experience in Christian work that 
men do, on the whole, most satisfactory work 
with men, and women with women. Especially 
is this true of the young. Many unfortunate 
complications oftentimes arise when young 
men try to lead young women to Christ or vice 
versa. Of course, an elderly motherly woman 
may do excellent work with a young man or 
boy, and an elderly, fatherly man may do good 
work with a young woman or girl. It is not 

94 



SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 95 

wise ordinarily for a young and inexperienced 
person to approach one very much older and 
maturer and wiser than themselves on this 
subject. 

2. Whenever it is possible, get the person 
with whom you are dealing alone. No one 
likes to open his heart freely to another on 
this most personal and sacred of all subjects 
when there are others present. Many will 
from pride defend themselves in a false po- 
sition when several are present, who would 
fully admit their error or sin or need, if they 
were alone with you. As a rule it is far bet- 
ter for a single worker to deal with a single 
unconverted person, than for several workers 
to deal with a single inquirer or for a single 
worker to deal with several inquirers at once. 
If you have several to deal with take them one 
by one. Workers often find that when they 
have made no headway while talking to several 
at once, by taking individuals off by them- 
selves they soon succeed in leading them one 
by one to Christ. 

3. Let your reliance be wholly in the Spirit 
of God and the Word of God, 

4. Do not content yourself with merely 
reading passages fro7n the Bible — much less in 
merely quoting the^n^ but have the one zvith 



96 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

whom you are dealing read the^n himself that 
the truth may find entrance into the heart 
through the eye as as well as the ear, 

5. It is ofttimes well to use but a single 
passage of scripture^ drive that home aud 
clinch it so that the one with whom you have 
been dealing cannot forget it, but will hear it 
ringing in his memory long after you have 
ceased talking. Dr. Ichabod Spencer once in 
dealing with a young man who had many diffi- 
culties kept continually quoting the passage 
"now is the accepted time, behold now is the 
day of salvation." The young man tried to get 
Dr. Spencer on to something else, but over and 
over again he rang out the words. The next 
day the young man returned rejoicing in 
Christ and thanking the doctor that he had 
*^hammered" him with that text. The words 
kept ringing in his ears during the night and 
he could not rest until he had settled the mat- 
ter by accepting Christ. It is a good thing when 
a person can point to some definite verse in 
the word of God and say "I know on the 
authority of that verse that my sins are for- 
given and I am a child of God." There are 
times, however when a powerful effect is pro- 
duced by a piling up of passages along some 
line until the mind is convinced and the heart 
conquered. 



SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 9/ 

6. Akvays hold the pe^^son with iv horn you 
are dealing to the main point of accepting 
Christ, If he wishes to discuss the claims of 
various denominations, or the question of bap- 
tism, or theories of future punishment or any 
other question other than the central one of 
his need of a Saviour and Christ the Saviour he 
needs; tell him that those questions are prop- 
er to take up in their right place and time, 
but the time to settle them is after he has 
settled the first and fundamental question of 
accepting or rejecting Christ. Many a case has 
been lost by an inexperienced worker allowing 
himself to be involved in a discussion of some 
side issue which it is utter folly to discuss 
with an unregenerated person. 

7. Be courteous. Many well-meaning but 
indiscreet Christians by their rudeness and im- 
pertinence repel those whom they would win 
to Christ. It is quite possible to be at once 
perfectly frank and perfectly courteous. You 
can point out to men their awful sin and need 
without insulting them. Your words may be 
very searching, while your manner is very 
gentle and winning. Indeed, the more 
gentle and winning our manner is, the deeper 
our words will go, for they will not stir up 
the opposition of those with whom we deal. 



98 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

Some zealous workers approach those with 
whom they wish to deal in such a manner 
that the latter at once assume the defensive 
and clothe themselves with an armor that 
it is impossible to penetrate. 

8. Be dead in earliest. Only the earnest 
man can make the unsaved man feel the truth 
of God's word. It is well to let the passages 
that we would use with others first sink into 
our own souls. I know of a very successful 
worker who for a long time used the one pass- 
age, "prepare to meet thy God," with every 
one with whom she dealt, but that passage had 
taken such complete possession of her heart 
and mind that she used it with tremendous 
effect. A few passages that have mastered us 
are better than many passages that we have 
mastered from some text book. 

The reader of this book is advised to pon- 
der, upon his knees, such of the passages sug- 
gested in it as he decides to use until he 
himself feels their power. We read of 
Paul that he "ceased not to warn every one 
night and day, with tears.'' (Acts xx:3i,) 
Genuine earnestness will go farther than any 
skill learned in a training class or from the 
study of such a book as this. 

9. Never lose your temper wheii tiying to 



SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 99 

lead a soul to Christ. Some persons are 
purposely exasperating, but even such may be 
won, by patience, forbearance and gentleness. 

They certainly cannot be won if you lose 
your temper. Nothing delights them more, 
or gives them more comfort in their sins. 
The more extremely irritating they are in 
their words and actions the more impressed 
they will be if you return insults with kind- 
ness. Often times the one who has been 
most insufferable will come back in penitence. 
One of the most insulting men I ever met 
afterwards became one of the most patient, 
persistent and effective of workers. 

ID. Never have a heated argu'^nent with 
one whom you would lead to Christ. This 
always comes from the flesh and not from the 
spirit. (Gal. v:20, 22,23.) I^ arises from 
pride and unwillingness to let the other person 
get the best of you in argument. Refuse to 
argue. If the one with whom you are talking 
has mistaken notions that must be removed 
before they can be led to Christ quietly and 
pleasantly show them their error. If the error 
is not essential refuse to dicuss it and hold the 
person to the main question. 

II. Never interrupt any one else wJio is 
dealing with a soul. You may think he is 



lOO HOW TO BRING MEM TO CHRIST 

not doing it in the wisest way, but if you can 
do it any better, bide your time and you will 
have the opportunity. Many an unskilled 
worker has had some one at the very point of 
decision Vv^hen some meddler has broken in and 
upset the whole work. On the other hand, 
do not let others, if you can help it, interrupt 
you. Just a litle word plainly but courteously 
spoken will usually prevent it. 

12. Dont be in a liui^ry. One of the 
great faults of Christian work to-day is haste. 
We are too anxious for immediate results and 
so do superficial work. It is very noticeable 
how many of those with whom Christ dealt 
came out slowly. Nicodemus, Joseph, Peter 
and even Paul — though the final step in his 
case seems very sudden — are cases in point. 
It was three days even after the personal ap- 
pearance of Jesus to Paul on the way to Da- 
mascus before the latter came out into the 
light and openly confessed Christ. (Acts xxii: 
i6.) One man with whom slow but thorough 
work has been done, and who at last has been 
brought out clearly for Christ, is better than 
a dozen with whom hasty work has been done, 
who think they have accepted Christ when 
in reality they have not. It is often a wise 
policy to plant a truth in a man's heart and 



SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS lOI 

leave it to work. The seed on rocky ground 
springs up quickly but withers as quickly. 

13. Whenever it is possible and wise^ get 
the person with whom you are dealing on his 
knees before God. It is wonderful how many 
difficulties disappear in prayer, and how readily 
stubborn people yield when they are brought 
into the very presence of God himself. I re- 
member talking with a young woman, in an in- 
quiry room, for perhapst wo hours and making 
no apparent headway; but, when at last we 
knelt in prayer, in less than five minutes she 
was rejoicing in her Saviour. 

1 4 Whenever you seem to fail in any given 
case go home and pray over it and study it to 
see why you failed. If you have been at a loss 
as to what scripture to use, study that portion 
of this book that describes the different classes 
we meet and how to deal with them and see 
where this case belongs and how you ought to 
have treated it. Then go back if you can and 
try again. In any case you will be better 
prepared next time. The greatest success 
in this work comes through many apparent 
defeats. It will be well to frequently study 
these hints and suggestions to see if your fail- 
ures come through neglect of them. 

I J. Before parting from the one who has 



102 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

accepted Christ, be sure to give him definite 
instructions as to how to succeed in the 
Christian life. The following are points that 
should be always insisted upon, (a.) Confess 
Christ with the mouth before men every op- 
portunity you get. Rom. x:9, lo. Matt, x: 
32,33. (b.) Be baptized and partake regularly 
of the Lord's supper, (d.) Acts ii: 38-42; Luke 
xxii:i9; i Cor. xi 124-26. (c.) Study the Word 
of God daily, i Pet ii:2; Acts xx:32; 11 Tim. 
iii: 13-17. Acts xvii:ii. (d.) Pray daily, often 
and in every time of temptation. Luke xi: 
9-13; xxii:40. i Thes. vii/. (e.) Put away 
out of your life every sin, even the smallest, 
and everything you have doubts about, and 
obey every word of Christ i Jno. i:6,7; Rom. 
xiv:23; Jno. xiv:23. (f.) Seek the society of 
Christians. Eph. iv: 12-16; Acts ii: 42, 47; 
Heb. x:242,5; (g.) Go to work for Christ. 
Matt. XXV 1x4-29. (h.) When you fall into 
sin don't be discouraged, but confess it at 
once, believe it is forgiven because God says 
so and get up and go on. i Jno. i: 9; Phil, 
iii: 13- 14. It would be well to give these in- 
structions in some permanent form to the one 
whom you have led to Christ. You can write 
them out or get a little tract called the "Chris- 
tian Life Card" published by Jno. C. Collins, 



SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS IO3 

Bureau of Supplies, New Haven, Conn. This 
contains them and some other matter. 

16. When you have led a7ty one to Christ, 
follow him lip and help him i7t the develop- 
ment of his Christian life. Many are led to 
Christ and then neglected and get on very 
poorly. This is a great mistake. The work 
of following up those who are converted is as 
important as the work of leading them to 
Christ, and as a rule no one can do it so well 
as the person whom God used in their conver- 
sion. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

There is one condition of success in bring- 
ing men to Christ that is of such cardinal im- 
portance, and so little understood, that it de- 
mands a separate chapter. I refer to the 
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts i5 ; Luke 
xxiv.49 (comp. Acts i.8), and Acts ii.4, ws 
have three expressions; "baptized with the 
Holy Spirit", "endured with power from on 
high" and "filled with the Holy Spirit," By a 
careful comparison of these and related pass- 
ages we will find that these various expres- 
sions refer to one and the same experience. 
This experience we shall see as we proceed in 
the study of this subject is an absolutely nec- 
essary condition of acceptable -and effective 
service for Christ. 

I. What is the Baptism of the Holy 
Spirit? 

I . // is a definite and distinct operation of 
the Holy Spirit of luJiich one may know 

whether it has been wronglit in liim or 7iot. 

104 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IO5 

This is evident from the fact that Jesus bade 
His disciples tarry in Jerusalem until they 
had received this enduement, (Luke xxiv.49, 
comp. Acts i. 8), and if it was not a definite and 
distinct operation of which they might know 
whether they had received it or not, of course, 
they would not know when this command of 
Christ had been complied with and when they 
were ready to begin their witnessing. 

2. It is a7i operation of The Holy Spirit 
separate from His regenerating work. This 
appears from Acts i. 5, where the disciples are 
told "ye shall be baptized with the Holy 
Spirit not many days hence." But from Jno. 
XV. 3; xiii: 10 we learn that the disciples were 
already regenerated. It appears also from 
Acts viii; 15. 16 where we are told of certain 
who had already believed and were bap- 
tized with water, but upon whom the 
Holy Spirit had not yet fallen. The same 
thing is shown by Acts xix. 1-6, where 
we are told of certain who were disciples, 
but who had not received the Holy Spirit 
since they believed. One may then be re- 
generated by the Holy Spirit without being 
baptized with the Holy Spirit. Sueh an one 
is saved but he is not yet fitted for service. 
Every believer has the Holy Spirit, Rom. viii. 



I06 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

9, but not every believer has the Baptism of the 
Holy Spirit, (Acts ;viiii2-i6; xix; 1-2}. We 
shall see very soon that every believer may 
have the baptism of the Holy Spirit 

3. Tlie Baptism of the Holy Spirit is al- 
ways connected z>jitli testimony or service, (see 
I Cor. xii.4-13; Acts i. 5-8; Luke xxiv. 49; 
Acts ii.4; iv;8,3i ; vii55; i. 17,20; x.45-46;x 
xix. 6.) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit has 
no direct reference to cleansing from sin. 
This is an important point to bear in mind 
for many reasons. There is a line of teach- 
ing on this subject that leads men to expect 
that if they receive the Baptism of the Holy 
Spirit, the old carnal nature will be eradicated. 
There is not a line of scripture to support this 
position. As said above, and as any one can 
learn for himself if he will examine all the 
passages in which the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit is mentioned, it is always connected 
with testimony and service. It is indeed ac- 
companied with a great moral and spiritual up- 
lifting and pre-supposes,as we shall see, an en- 
tire surrender of the will to Christ, but its pri- 
mary and immediate purpose is fitting for ser- 
vice. We will get a more definite idea of what 
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is, if we consider 
its manifestations and results as stated in the 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 10/ 

Bible, (a.) Let us look first at the passage that 
goes most into detail on this subject, i Cor. 
xii.4-10. We see at once that the manifes- 
tations or results of the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit are not precisely the same in all per- 
sons. For example, the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit will not make every one who receives 
it a successful evangelist or teacher. Some 
quite different gift may be imparted. This 
fact is often overlooked and much disap- 
pointment and doubt are the result. The 
manifestations or results vary with the lines 
of service to which God has called different 
individuals. One receives the gift of an evan- 
gelist, another of a teacher, another of govern- 
ment, another of a helper, another of a mother, 
(i Cor. xii. 28-31; Eph. iv.8,ii.) (b.) i Cor. 
xii.7-11. There will be some gift in every 
case. Not the same gift but some gift, of an 
evangelist, or a pastor, or of a teacher or some 
other, (c.) i Cor. xii. 11. The Holy Spirit is 
Himself the one who decides what the gift or 
gifts shall be which he will impart to each 
individual. It is not for us to select some 
place of service and then ask the Holy Spirit 
to qualify us for that service, nor for us ' to 
select some gift, and then ask the Spirit to 
impart to us that gift. It is for us to put our- 



I08 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

selves entirely at the disposal of the Holy 
Spirit to send us where ^'He will," into what 
line of service "He will" (Acts xiii.2,) and to 
impart what gift "He will." He is absolutely 
sovereign and our rightful position is that of 
absolute and unconditional surrender to Him. 
This is where many fail of a blessing and 
meet with disappointment. I know a most 
sincere and self-sacrificing man who gave up 
a lucrative business and took up the work of 
an evangelist. He had heard of the Baptism 
of the Holy Spirit; and had been led to suppose 
that, if he received it, it would qualify 
him for the work of an evangelist. The man 
came more than four thousand miles to this 
country, but the work did not open to him. 
He was in much purplexity and doubt until he 
was led to see that it was not for him to select 
the work of an evangelist, as good as that 
work was, and then expect the Holy Spirit 
to qualify him for this self-chosen work. He 
gave himself up to be sent into whatever work 
the Spirit might will. Into the work in which 
he was sent the power of the Spirit came 
upon him and he received this very gift of an 
evangelist which he had coveted, (d.) Acts 
i. 5,8. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit al- 
ways imparts power for serviee, the services 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IO9 

to which God calls us. In a certain city was 
an uneducated boy who was led to Christ. 
In his very lowly occupation he began wit- 
nessing for Jesus. He went on from step to 
step in Christ's work. My attention was 
called to him by a gentleman who was inter- 
ested in him, and who said he would like to 
have me meet him. The gentleman brought 
him to Chicago, and I invited him one night 
to speak in one of our tents. It was in an 
exceedingly hard neighborhood. Into the 
same tent an organized mob once came to 
break up the meeting. It was a difficult au- 
dience to hold. The young man began in 
what appeared to me to be a very common- 
place way, and I was afraid I had made a mis- 
take in asking him to speak, but I prayed and 
watched the audience. There was nothing 
remarkable in his address as he went on — ex- 
cepting the bad grammar. But I noticed that 
all the people were listening. They contin- 
ued to listen to the end. When I asked if there 
was any one who wished to accept Christ, 
people rose in different parts of the tent to 
signify that they did. Thinking it all over, I 
told the facts to a man who had known the 
speaker before. "It is just so wherever he 
goes'^ was the reply. What was the expla- 



IIO HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

nation? This uneducated boy had received 
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and had re- 
ceived power. One night at the close of an 
address on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a 
minister came to me on the platform and said: 
"I need this power, won't you pray for me?" 
'^Let us kneel right down here now," I replied, 
and we did. A few weeks after I met a gen- 
tleman who had been standing by. "Do you 
remember," he said "the minister with whom 
you prayed at New Britain. He went back 
to his church; his church is packed Sunday 
evenings, a large part of the audience are 
young men and he is having conversions right 
along." He had received the Baptism of the 
Holy Spirit and"power."(e,)Acts iv. 29-31. The 
Baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts 
boldness in testimony and service. Peter is 
a notable example of this. Contrast Peter in 
Acts iv.8-i2 with Peter in Mark xiv. 66-72. 
Perhaps some one who reads this book has a 
great desire to speak to others and win them 
to Christ, but an insuperable timidity stands 
in the way. If you will only get the Baptism 
of the Holy Spirit, all that will be overcome. 
We are now in a position to define the 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. TJic Baptism of 
the Holy Spirit^ is the Spirit of God falling up- 



The baptism of the holy spirit i i i 

on the believer^ taking possession of his facul- 
tieSy imparting to him gifts ?iot naturally his 
own, but which qualify him for the service 
to which God has called hi^n. 
2. The necessity of the baptism of the 

Holy Spirit as a preparation for Chris- 
tian WORK. 

(i) ht Luke xxiv. ^p. Jesus bade the apos- 
tles to tarry in Jerusalem until they were ''^en- 
dued with power from on high. '' These men 
had been appointed to be witnesses of the life, 
death and resurrection of Christ. (Luke xxiv. 
45-48. Acts, i.22; X 39-41.) They had re- 
ceived what would seem to be a splendid and 
sufficient training for this work. For more 
than three years they had been to school to 
the best of teachers, Jesus Himself. They had 
been eye witnesses of his miracles, death, 
burial, resurrection and ascension. But there 
was still one thing needed. And this need was of 
such vital importance that Jesus would not per- 
mit them to enter upon their appointed work 
until that need had been met. That need was 
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the apos- 
tles with their unparalleled fitting for service, 
were not permitted to enter that service until 
all their other training had been supple- 
mented by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, 



112 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

what daring presumption it is for any of us with 
our inferior training to dare to do it. But this 
is not all, eveji Jesus Himself did not enter 
upon his ministry until specially anointed wit Ji 
the Holy Spirit and with power, (Acts x. 38, 
comp.Luke iii.and 22 iv. i, 14). Tliis baptism is 
an absolutely essential preparation for Chris- 
tian work. It is either ignorance of the plain 
requirementsof God's word or the most daring 
presumption on our part when we try to do 
work for Christ until we know we have been 
Baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

(2. ) // is the privilege of every believer to be 
baptized zvith the Holy Spirit. This appears 
from Acts ii. 39, R. V. *^To you is the promise 
and to your children and to all that are afar 
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call unto him.'^ The context, the use of the 
word "promise" in this and the preceding 
chapter (ch. i.4; ii. 16, 33.) and the use of the 
expression "gift of the Holy Spirit'^ throughout 
the book, all prove conclusively that "the 
promise" of this verse means the promise of 
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; and the verse 
tells us that this promise is for all in all ages 
of the church's history whom God shall call 
unto him, i. e. for every believer. If we 
have not this baptism it is our own fault* 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT II 3 

It is for us and we are responsible before God 
for all the work we might have done, and all 
the souls we might have won if we were so 
baptized, and we are guilty to the extent that 
the work is not done and the souls not won. 

(3) How CAN WE OBTAIN THE BAPTISM OF 

THE Holy Spirit. 

We now come to the practical question: how 
can we obtain this Baptism of the Holy Spirit 
which is such an absolute necessity in our 
work for Christ? Fortunately the answer to 
this question is very plainly stated in the Bi- 
ble. 

(i) "Repent ye and be baptized every one of 
you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the re- 
mission of your sins; and God shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Spirit ( Acts ii. 38 R. V.) 
The first step toward obtaining this Baptism 
is repentance. Repentance means "a change of 
mind,'^ a change of mind about sin, about 
God, and in this case especially (as the context 
shows) a change of mind about Christ. A real 
change of mind such as leads to action — to our 
turning away from all sin, our turning to God, 
our turning away from rejecting Jesus Christ 
to accepting Him. The second step is the con- 
fession of our renunciation of sin and accept- 
ance of Jesus Christ in God's appointed zuay 



114 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

by baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The 
Baptism with the Holy Spirit in at least one in- 
stance(Acts x.44-48)preceded the baptism with 
water but this was manifestly an exceptional 
case and God says "repent ye and be baptized 
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall 
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," (Actsii. 
38, R. V.) 

(2) "The Holy Spirit whom God hath given 
to them that obey him". (Acts v. 32). The con- 
dition of the gift of the Holy Ghosi here stated 
is that ive ^^obey Him,'''' Obedience means more 
than the mere performance of some of the 
things that God bids us do. It means the 
entire surrender of our wills, ourselves and all 
we have, to Him. It means that we come to 
Him and say from the heart, "here I am, I am 
thine, thou hast bought me with a price, I ac- 
knowledge thine ownership. Take me, do with 
me what thou wilt, send me where thou wilt, 
use me as Thou wilt." This entire yielding 
of ourselves to God is the condition of our re- 
ceiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it 
is at this point that many fail of this blessing. 
At the, close of a convention a gentleman 
hurried to the platform and said there was a 
lady in great distress who wished to speak 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT I I 5 

with me. It was an hour before I could get 
to her. but I found her still in great mental 
suffering in the intensity of her desire for the 
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Others had talk- 
ed to her but it had seemed to do no good. 
I sat down behind her and said "Is your will 
wholly surrendered.^" She did not know. "You 
wish to be a Christian worker do you not.^" 
"Yes." "Are you willing to go back to Balti- 
more and be a servant girl if it is God's will.?" 
"No!" "You will never receive this blessing 
until your own will is wholly laid down." "I 
can't lay it down," "Would you like to have 
God lay it down for you." "Yes." "Well, let 
us ask Him to do it." We did, he heard the 
prayer, the will was laid down, the Baptism 
of the Holy Spirit was received and she went 
from the church rejoicing. 

Obedience means also the doing in all mat- 
ters great and small, the will of God as re- 
vealed in His Word or by His Spirit. Any re- 
fusal to do what God bids us do, any con- 
scious doing of what he bids us not do, even 
in very little matters, is sufficient to shut us 
out of this blessing. If there is anything no 
matter how little, that comes up before us to 
trouble us as we pray over this matter, we 
should set it right with God at once. Mr. 



Il6 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

Finney tells of one who, in great agony prayed 
for days for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit 
but received no answer. x\t last as she was 
praying one night she put her hand to her 
head and took off some little adornment that 
always came up before her w^hen she prayed 
and cast it from her. Immediately she re- 
ceived the long desired blessing. It seemed 
a very little thing but it \vas a matter of con- 
troversy with God and hindered the blessing. 

(3.) "How much more shall your Heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
Him." (Luke ii:i3) (a.) There must be 
definite prayer for this Baptism. It is often 
said that the Holy Spirit is already here and 
that every believer has the Spirit and so w^e 
ought not to pray for the Holy Spirit. This 
argument overlooks the distinction between 
having the Holy Spirit and having this specific 
preparation of the Holy Spirit, (see i. 2.) It 
also contradicts the plain teaching of God's 
word that He gives "the Holy Spirit to them 
that ask Him." It is furthermore shown to be 
fallacious by the fact that the Baptism of the 
Holy Spirit in the book of Acts was constantly 
given in connection with and in answer to 
prayer. (Acts i: 14; ii: 1-4; iv: 31 ; viii i 5, 17.) 

(b.) Prayer implies desire. There is no 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT I 1/ 

real prayer for the Baptism of the Spirit unless 
there is a deep desire for it. As long as a 
man thinks he can get along somehow with- 
out this blessing, he is not likely to get it; but 
when a man reaches the place where he feels 
he must have this no matter what it costs, 
he is far on the way toward receiving it. 
Many a minister of the gospel and other work- 
er has been brought to a place where he has 
felt he could not go on with his ministry with- 
out this gift and then the gift has soon follow- 
ed and the character of his work has been 
entirely transformed. 

(c. ) The prayer to be effectual must be in 
faith {Mark xi : 4.. James says in regard to 
the prayer for wisdom. "Let him ask in faith, 
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is 
like a wave of sea driven with the wind and 
tossed. For let not that man think that he 
shall receive anything of the Lord" (Jas. i. 6, 7. ) 
The same principle, of course, holds in re- 
gard to the prayer for the Holy Spirit. It is 
at this very point that many miss the bless- 
ing. How to approach God in faith is clearly 
taught by i Jno. v. 14, 15. "This is the con- 
fidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask 
anything according to his will He heareth us, 
and if we know that he hear us whatsoever 



Il8 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

we ask, we know that we have the petitions 
that we desired of him." When we ask Him 
for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit we know 
that we have asked something according to 
His will for it is definitely promised in His 
word. Therefore we know that "He heareth 
us; and if we know that He hear us we know 
that we have the petition" which we have 
asked of him. As soon then as I am sure I 
have met the conditions stated above of the 
gift of the Holy Spirit, and asked it of God 
I have a right to count this blessing mine — 
the prayer is heard and I have the petition I 
asked of him — and get up and enter into my 
work assured that in my work will be seen 
the Spirit's power. "But," some one will say, 
"shall we expect no manifestations .!^" Yes, 
but where? In service. When I know on the 
authority of God's word that my prayer is 
heard, I have the right to enter upon any ser- 
vice to which He calls me and confidently ex- 
pect the manifestation of the Spirit's power in 
that service. It is a mistake to wait or look 
for, as so many do, the manifestation in elec- 
tric shocks or peculiar emotional experiences. 
They may and often do accompany the Bap- 
tism of the Holy Spirit. But the Bible clearly 
teaches us (i Cor. xii.4-11) that the place to 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT II 9 

look for manifestations, is in service and the 
most important, reliable and scriptural mani- 
festations are found in our work. "Must we 
not wait," it may be asked, "until we know 
that we have received the baptism of the 
Holy Spirit." Most assuredly, but how are 
we to know.'* The same way in which we 
know we are saved, by the testimony of God' s 
zvord. When I know I have met the condi- 
tions and have asked this gift which is "ac- 
cording to his will" I know by God's word(i 
Jno.v. 14, 15.) that my prayer is heard, and that 
I have the petition I desired of him. I have a 
right to arise with no other evidence than the 
all-sufficient evidence of God's word, and enter 
into the service to which God calls me. "Did 
not the early disciples wait ten days.?" it may 
again be asked, Yes, and the reason why is 
clearly given in Acts ii. i. — "When the day of 
Pentecost was fully come." In the O. T. types 
the day of Pentecost had been appointed as 
the day in God's economy for the first giving 
of the Holy Spirit and the offering of the first- 
fruits (the church) and so the Holy Spirit 
could not be given until that day. (Lev. xxiii. 
9-17.) But after the Spirit was once given 
we find no protracted period of waiting on the 
part of those who sought this blessing. (Acts 



I20 HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST 

iv.31; viii.15,17; ix. 17,20; xix.6.) Men are 
obliged to wait to-day, but it is only because 
they have not met the conditions, or do not 
believe and claim the blessing simply on the 
Word of God. The moment we meet the 
conditions and claim the blessing it is ours. 
(Mark xi.24 R.V.) Any child of God may lay 
down this book, meet the conditions, ask the 
blessing, claim it and have it. In a Students' 
Summer School at Lake Geneva after a talk 
by F. B. Meyer on the Baptism of the Holy 
Spirit, a student remained to talk with me. 
He said he had heard of this before and had 
been seeking it for months but could not get 
it. I found his will was not surrendered, but 
that was soon settled. Then I said, "Let us 
kneel down and ask God for the Baptism of 
the Holy Spirit." He did so. Was that pe- 
tition "according to his will.?" I asked. "Yes." 
"Was the prayer heard?" After some hesi- 
tation, "It must have been." "Have you what 
you asked of Him?" "I don't feel it." I read 
I Jno. V. 15. from the Bible that lay open be- 
fore us: "If we know that he hears us, whatso- 
ever we ask, we know that zve have the pe- 
tition we desired of him." "Was the prayer 
heard?" "Yes." "Have you what you asked?" 
"I must have; for God says so." We arose and 



THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 121 

soon separated. Going back to the school in 
a few days I met the young man again. His 
face was now all aglow and he knew he had 
received what at first he took upon the bare 
word of God. 

4. The Repetition of the Baptism of 
THE Holy Spirit. 

One more thing needs to be said before we 
leave this subject. The Baptism of the Holy 
Spirit is an experience that needs frequent 
repeatings. This appears from a comparison 
of Acts ii.4 — where Peter with others was 
filled with the Holy Spirit — with Acts iv. 
8. — where Peter was filled again, — and with 
Acts iv. 31 where Peter with others was 
filled yet again. A new filling is needed and 
should be sought for each new emergency of 
Christian service. There are many who once 
knew experimentally what the Baptism of the 
Holy Spirit meant who are trying to work to- 
day in the power of that old experience and 
are working without God. They need and 
must have a new Baptism before God can 
use them. 



PopnIarMissionaryBlographies 

12mo, 160 pages. Fully illustrated. Cloth extra, 75 cents each. 




From The Missionary 
Herald. 

*' We commended this ser- 
ies in our last issue, and a 
further examination leads us 
to renew our commendation, 
and to urge the placing of 
this series of missionary 
books in all our Sabbath- 
school libraries. 

These books are handsome- 
ly printed and bound and are 
beautifully illustrated, and we 
are confident that they will 
prove attractive to all young 
people." 



" These are not pans of milk, but little pitchers of cream, compact and 
condensed from bulkier volumes." — Dr. A. 1". Pierson. 

SAMUEL CBOWTHEB, the Slave Boy who became 
Bishop of the Niger* By Jesse Page, author of *' Bishop 
Patteson." 

THOMAS J". CO MB EH, Missionary Pioneer to the 

Congo. By Rev. J. B. Myers, Association Secretary Baptist Mis- 
sionary Society. 

BISHOP PATTESON, the Martyr of Melanesia, By 

Jesse Page. 
GBIFFITH JOHN, Founder of the Hankow Mission, 

Central China. By Wm. Robson, of the London Missionary 

Society. 
JROBERT MORRISON, the Pioneer of Chinese Mis- 
sions, By Wm. J. Townsend, Sec. Methodist New Connexion 

Missionary Society. 
ROBERT 31 OFF AT, the Missionary Hero of Kuruman, 

By David J. Deane, author of " Martin Luther, the Reformer," etc, 
WILIjIAM CAREY, the Shoemaker who became a Mis- 

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^AMES CHALMERS, Missionary and Explorer of 

Rarotonga and New Guinea. By Wm. Robson, of the 

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MISSIONARY LADIES IN FOREIGN LANDS, By 

Mrs. E. R. Pitman, author of *' Heroines of the Missionary Fields,^' 

etc. 
JA3IES CALVERT; or. From Dark to Dawn in Fiji, 
JOHN WILLIAMS, the Martyr of Polynesia. By Rev. 

James J. Ellis. 
HENRY MARTYN, His Life and Labors, By jEflSB 

Page, author of " Bishop Patterson," etc. 
DAVID BRAINERD : Apostle to American Indians, 
MAD A GASCAR : Its Missionaries and Martyrs, 
DA V ID LI VINGSTONE; By Arthur Monteflore, F. R. G 



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I 



WORKS BY REV. F. B. MEYER. 

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Elijah and the Secret of his Power.- i.oo 

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